


Love, Inside

by BerkleyDrive



Series: Love, And Other Things [1]
Category: GOT7, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Age Difference, Alcohol, Angst, Canon Compliant, Consensual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Foreplay, Kissing, Like super slow burn I can't even begin to tell yah, Mild Smut, Neck Kissing, Oral Sex, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Public Scene, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut, Truth or Dare, Workplace Relationship, Workplace Sex, markson is real, originally posted on AFF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-01-29 08:23:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 40,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12626961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BerkleyDrive/pseuds/BerkleyDrive
Summary: Love rarely makes crazy decisions in life-except for that one time she went skinning dipping with a guy from her swim team... Oh, and that day she decided to leave her Australian life behind to pursue a career in Seoul's booming K-Pop industry.Other than that, she's a pretty steady adult with a university degree, a curated penthouse apartment, and a new job every fangirl would die for. She's focused, she's hardworking, and she's determined to do well as JYP Entertainment's new video PD... until her crazy decisions lead her to a face-to-face encounter with GOT7.





	1. Inside The Global Village

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters with sex, alcohol, cursing, and other adult themes will be labeled (M).  
> ***  
> Hi there! I'm still proofreading the rest of the fanfic. I would love to hear your thoughts on this so please leave comments! Kudos are greatly appreciated too!
> 
> (PS. Not a native English speaker, and not Australian either, so I'm very sorry for grammar or context mistakes. I'm still practicing. Hit me up in the comments, that would be greatly appreciated!)

I'm half Korean but I still don't understand why a lot of people here choose to wear sweatshirts to work on a sweltering June weekday. I mean, come on, my pits are sweating and it's only 10AM. You can't really blame me for huffing as I make my way to my workstation.

"Annyeong haseyo!" That's Mina Kang, my fellow video PD, whose small face seems perpetually fixed with a smile. 

"Annyeong haseyo, Mina-ssi" I say, not bothering to hide my foreign twang. She involuntarily flashes a toothy grin every time I say her name in my Australian-Korean accent.

"Sarang-ah, syeocheu yeppuda!" [Sarang, I like your shirt!] Mina says, praising my navy blue muscle shirt which I haphazardly tucked into a gray skirt.

"Kamsahamnida!" I respond, trying to hide my reddening cheeks while pushing the power button on my computer. I'm not sure if I'm blushing because of the compliment or the fact that she continues to call me Sarang. I've only been working at JYP Entertainment for a few weeks but my new colleagues somehow already picked up on the nickname my boss gave me, along with my working habits. I start putting my headphones on, drowning myself in a symphony of sounds and colors and movements. Everyone knows that this is the start of my 8-hour-long work-related silence.

***Flashback***

I still remember that day distinctly. I was sitting on a leather upholstered swivel chair, and across the table, in the massive boardroom, sat Mr. Jinyoung Park and several other Korean executives, whose names I barely remembered after all the hand-shaking and polite bowing and nerve-wracking eye-contact I had to go through. After several predictable job interview questions, they asked me what changes I would like suggest for their latest video projects.

"Well... I think a change of colors would be great for RealGOT7... Maybe add some fun, quirky animations to show just how much the boys have changed since their debut. I think it'll be a great way to visualize their comeback for Season 3 and for the new album," I answered in an awkward jumble of English and Korean phrases. At that time, I wasn't really sure what the concept for GOT7's new album was about, but with the way JYP's face lightened up when I said that, I was sure I hit jackpot.

They called me in three days after the interview to sign a contract, which signaled the end of my freelancing days in Seoul. On my first day, I found myself talking to JYP PD-nim inside the elevator and he asked me if Love was my real first name. I was very much tempted to flash my passport at him to prove I wasn't lying. "Yes sir, my full name really is Love Kangjeon" I said, half-smirking. That was when JYP decided to call me Sarang. I guess whatever nickname he decided on was bound to stick. He is, after all, one of the founders of the company.

***Flashforward***

Here I am, two weeks later, walking towards his office with trembling hands after receiving a call from his secretary. "PD-nim wants you to discuss the new video format," The young woman said in Korean. Her sharp honorifics over the phone, and the smug look on her face as I pass by her, gives me the impression that she does not like seeing me around.

I open the door to find GOT7's manager sitting beside PD-nim, along with some people from the creative team. They are huddled in front of a massive TV screen, waiting to watch the final edit I made.

"Oh there you are," PD-nim says. All the heads and eyes in the room turn to me. "Thank you for coming. Come and tell us about what you did for Episode 3." I force a small smile as I move to stand beside the TV screen.

"Annyeong haseyo," I say, bowing awkwardly in front of everyone. "Je ireumeun Kangjeon Love imnida. Jeoneun video PD yeyo. Bangapseumnida!" [My name is Love Kangjeon. I'm a video PD. Nice to meet you!]

"Geureom..." [Well then...] I stop to clear my throat, willing my voice to come out as I continue my little speech. "As you can see, we focused on four different colors in the new opening billboard sequence: That's green, blue, yellow, and red. These colors were based on their outfits from the DVD jacket photo shoot. We actually coordinated with their stylists to know what colors were assigned to each member and why." I take the remote from the center table, hit fast forward to show a frame of the boys wearing colored sweatshirts.

"The title card is made up mostly of green and as you can see in this frame, Jackson and Yugyeom are wearing green because it represents their playful side. We have blue to represent GOT7's more mature and serious side just like how JB, Junior, and Mark are wearing blue. Then we have two other colors to symbolize GOT7's pop and hip hop genre. Youngjae is wearing yellow because he is the main vocalist of the group, and BamBam is wearing scarlet red because he represents GOT7's unique rap style. Then there's this animated cloud that symbolizes JYP, the company that brings all the elements together to create GOT7." I hear tiny 'oohs' and 'aaahs' from the people in the room and I can't help but feel proud of what I have created.

"The font for the word 'Real' is edgier now and was handwritten to represent the candid, unscripted moments of the show. We used a simpler font for GOT7 and Season 3 to balance out all the other elements. Moving forward, we will be using these animated elements in the OBB clips and segment title cards for upcoming videos." I end my speech with a simple nod towards PD-nim and a silent prayer of thanks because I have succeeded in publicly speaking in Hangul yet again. I have been living in this country for two years now but I still get nervous whenever I speak the language in front of others.

"That's very impressive, you did your research well. You can go back now," The PD-nim said.

"Kamsahamnida," I smile broadly as I bow before making a move towards the door.

"Oh, Sarang-ah!" I turn to PD-nim once again. "Please start working on the next episodes as soon as you can. I want to see photos from the recent shoot done in this style. This is the last season for RealGOT7 and I expect nothing short of perfect." I am floored by the suddenness of JYP's declaration. I wonder why they had me change the format for the remaining episodes of Season 3. Even so, I answer with a nod before leaving the room.

I close the door behind me and let out a small sigh of relief. JYP's secretary seems to be in a better mood now so I nod and smile at her, only to find, the second I walk past her, that she doesn't even know I'm there. Apparently, she's too busy preening for the approaching men. "JB-ah, you're looking very handsome today!" She exclaims, her voice slicing through the narrow hallway ahead as the group continues to walk towards us.

JB's face is plastered with a polite smile. Junior, Yugyeom, and Youngjae are talking animatedly behind him. Both BamBam and Jackson are busy with their phones. Mark seems to be lagging behind. I make way for them by walking closely to the wall, looking down on my feet I pass by them. Mark's brown suede boots appear in my line of vision, his feet shuffling and then slowing down and then disappearing from my view altogether. I wouldn't say I'm a fan just because I've only ever listened to their songs casually, but I know enough to say that they have gotten good and popular since their debut.

Out of nowhere I feel this strong force at the back of my head. It's like a tiny string pulling me back, though not powerful enough to make me want to turn around completely. I turn my head to look back and my heart stops. Mark is gazing at me curiously, his body half-turned towards me, a mysterious smile hanging sweetly on his lips.

I scurry away as I hear the door closing, my heart pounding so loud I can't even hear my footsteps anymore.


	2. Thank You, JYP

***Flashback***

Mina and I had a fine Friday morning until we read the email about our next RealGOT7 shoot. Our boss asked us to finish Episodes 4 and 5 within the day, and to pack our bags for weekend work. Apparently we were scheduled to shoot and stay overnight at a resort owned by one of JYP's friends.

Pandemonium. We didn't even have a cut-to-cut draft to begin with. But we managed to finish everything by 9PM and before heading home, Mina and I decided to get ramyeon for dinner. It was the first time since I came to JYPE that I got to really spend time with her.

At the ramyeon house she asked me what I thought of our work so far and I honestly said I have been enjoying every minute of it, no matter how hard it got. "But how is it different from your job in Australia?" She asked.

"Oh I mostly worked freelance. I edited my friend's YouTube videos and got paid for each one. I was also a waitress at a Korean restaurant owned by my mom's friend where I had to dress up in a hanbok every day after school for almost two years." I answered, secretly thankful for the times I spent smelling like kimchi on my way back to the university dorms because the money I saved up from it helped me a lot when I was starting out in Korea on my own.

"Wait, I thought your family's rich, why did you have to work after school?"

"What made you think my family's rich?"

"Because you dress up so well!" She said in an accusatory tone I wasn't used to. I almost spat ramyeon soup out of my mouth. "I see it all the time. I know that you take the labels off your clothes but I've seen those things in magazines so I know that they're branded and where EXACTLY you bought them. Most of the clothes you wear are not even in Korean malls yet!"

"Mina-yah! How do you even notice these things?!"

"Well, that cap is definitely legit but obviously you decided to remove the authenticity sticker," I cringed and decided to wear my cap backwards. "I know some people who would wear shirts with price tags on them just to make a point, but you... You're different." She smiled at me before diving back into her ramyeon, her thick ponytail of curly back hair bobbed behind her. I felt my cheeks reddening at the unexpected validation. 

"Okay, I'll be completely honest. My mom has a jewelry business and my dad started out as a small-time carpenter from Busan," I said, realizing that it's been more than a year since I last told my story to somebody. "They live in a bungalow house on a street where mostly rich people live. We have the smallest house in that neighborhood but it was made out of high grade wood and has a lot of windows. My dad worked really hard on that house and he raised us to live conservatively."

"So who else is living in that house now?"

"My older brother," I answered, taking my phone and showing her pictures of my home and my family in Australia.

"Oh wow, your brother is good looking. He dresses well too!" Her comment made me laugh. Mina was the one who asked GOT7's stylist about their outfits during the photo shoot, and that's where I got the idea for the OBB. We were cowering by the dressing rooms then when the stylist noona asked us for our opinion on the sweater pairings. At that time, my first thought was that Mina seemed to have an amazing eye for detail, much like magazine editors and art directors. I know this because my mother has a lot of friends and business contacts in Australia's magazine industry and most of them are my godmothers.

"I won't deny the fact that I buy branded clothes, but I never wanted people to know that. Growing up, we were only allowed one designer item per year. My dad hates expensive clothing but I have decided that since I'm making my own money now, I should dress myself nicely. I still remove the labels though, out of habit and out of respect for my dad."

"I think you're really lucky. People like us can't even buy designer items, much less get one every year," Mina joked. "But I'm glad to know that you work hard for what you have." I smiled and thanked her.  _Had I known her in high school, I would have had a better time._

"Omo! Since we're on the topic of clothes, I just remembered I have nothing to wear tomorrow!" Mina's face showed pure dilemma but I couldn't quite keep myself from laughing.

"Araseo, let's finish this up and go to my apartment. You can pick out clothes from my closet."

***Flashforward***

It's fun to see them acting foolish on tape, but it's another thing to see them being idiots in the flesh. JB is surprisingly mischievous. In the clips I edit, he usually broods in the background while the rest of the boys fool around. Today he's even more energetic than Jinyoung, who's always up for fun as long as it's safe. Jinyoung's nagging is off the charts today. Off cam, he keeps nagging about the boys running around shirtless or jumping into the pool too hard. I guess this is why the fans call him GOT7's mother.

If he's the matriarch, and JB the patriarch, Jackson may as well be the prodigal son. "Who paid for this place?" Jackson asks, always the spendthrift. The leader gamely answers, "JYP," and the rest of the boys clap their hands for the PD. "JYP, kamsahamnida!" Jackson says on cam, much to the director's delight.

"I wonder what it's like being so close to the boss and calling the PD by that name?" Mina whispers. We are sitting by the house with our laptops, watching the boys and the film crew from afar.

"I don't know, but I heard Jackson is the closest to PD. Look at all the side projects he's getting!" I say, whispering conspiratorially. "He has more TV show appearances than Jinyoung and JB combined—and they both started off on TV!"

"Hey, don't talk about JB like that you know he's my bias!" Mina pouts at me and I burst out laughing. She's a total fan. She told me last night that she asked to be transferred to our web show after the first season. "I know your bias is Jackson but be considerate about me too," She says, poking at the fact that Jackson is my entry point to GOT7.

I am no fan, compared to Mina. But I'm partial to Jackson because of his warm and funny personality. He's the kind of guy you could watch for hours and his facial reactions are golden. We all agree that TV people love him because of his unassuming charm. Other talent companies wouldn't want their artists to be so busy with side projects but JYP allows Jackson to take on other shows because he's a hard working kid—at least that's what I have heard.

"Sarang-ah, these pool games make me want to jump into the water too!" Mina grumbles. I sigh while scrolling through the bulk of video clips we need to sort and backup.

"Well then tear your clothes off and jump, who says you can't?"

"I always forget you're a foreigner," She says, shaking her head at me. "First of all, they're still filming. The director would kill me for sure. Secondly, this isn't Sydney, we don't just take our clothes off and jump into the water. Look at Jinyoung. He's wearing a jacket in the pool!" I turn my head to look where Mina's looking. There he is, splashing around with a blue and white jacket even with the sun beating down on him.

"Oh yeah, why is he wearing a jacket anyway?"

"Because he's wearing a tank top underneath and he doesn't want anything inappropriate to show,"

"We'll why is Yugyeom wearing a tank top then?"

"Because he's a pure and innocent boy." She points to the unsuspecting maknae and I immediately swat her hand before anyone notices. We then decide to take our laptops to the rooftop of the rest house and work on the archives from there. This way, we won't have to censor our mouths all the time.

Before we know it, it's almost dinner time. Mina and I have talked about the rest of our K-Pop bias list while sorting through one whole season's worth of footage. It's past 7PM and the house seems abandoned except for the laughter coming from outside. We creep our way back to the filming site to find that the boys are now positioned on the other side of the pool, the smell of barbecue wafting through the air.

We wait until the whole shoot is done before finally eating our own dinner of jjajangmyeon and exploring the resort. We walk around the garden, and then around the pool, talking about random things until we notice that we are the only ones left outside. "Mina-yah, I think it's time to swim!" I say, looking around to see if there's anyone else lurking around.

"Aishhh, jinjja?! What if someone sees us?"

"They're probably too tired to care anyway," I say, hastily taking off my sandals and my dress. "Come on, you said you wanted to swim" I fold my clothes and set my belongings aside, my body in full view as I'm wearing only my red bandeau bikini.

Mina scans the area cautiously before whisper screaming at me in the dark. "OMO! Why do you look like an idol?! Your S-line is amazing. How am I supposed to strip when you look like that?! I'm going to look like a fat squid beside you!"

"Mina-yah, hajima! No one's looking so strip down and I promise I won't judge." I wait for a few seconds with my arms crossed in front of me.

"Okay, okay," She responds before finally taking off the maxi dress I have given her last night. I roll my eyes at her. She's anything BUT a fat squid. We silently slip into the pool, wading wordlessly in fear of being discovered. "I haven't done anything this crazy in ages!" Mina says, her face lighting up with joy in the darkness.

"You think this is crazy? Skinny dipping is crazy, this is nothing." I answer cockily, moving towards the side of the pool to prepare for a lap.

"What, so you've tried skinny dipping before?!" She asks, possibly scandalized at the thought of me swimming completely naked somewhere in Australia. I smile at her in response, resolving not to tell her that I actually went skinning dipping with a boy from my swim team because from the looks of it the details might give her a mini heart attack.

After five laps, Mina finally whines about the cold and waddles out of the pool. "Oh gosh, I feel so cold how can you be so comfortable doing laps?" She watches me finish my 6th round.

"I was in my university's swimming team and we practiced early in the morning so I'm used to the cold," I respond while watching her dress up.

"That's cool. Hey, I'm going ahead upstairs to wash. I'll let you know if anyone's still up," She says, leaving me floating in the water. I look up at the sky to find stars blinking down at me and I can't help but smile.  _Things are getting better now._  It may seem weird to think that way a month into my new job but I'm still optimistic. I close my eyes to feel the water rippling all around me, the cold wind kissing my nose. Something's telling me that I'm about to witness something huge, something new. I am, after all, now working at one of South Korea's top entertainment companies.

Beep!

I swim my way out of the pool to check my phone. "Coast is clear!" I know for sure that we have gotten close because I can now hear Mina's cute voice in my head while reading her text. I wear my dress again and start walking towards the garden at the back of the house, water dripping from the ends of my hair.

The silence is deafening as I walk and my dress is clinging onto my wet body. It's a good thing to be walking in semi-darkness right now because I'm pretty sure my red swimsuit can be seen through my wet dress.

"Coco, wait..." I suddenly hear a faint voice followed by tiny dog barks behind me. I freeze, scared to death because I know that voice. I've memorized it so well despite the fact that he barely says anything. Coco continues to bark at me. I feel panic rising upwards from my gut as I stand under the faint light of the house.


	3. Seeing The Light

**Chapter 3: Seeing The Light**

The small white puppy emerges from the dark part of the garden, tiny barks ringing in my ears as she runs cautiously towards me.

Kneeling on the ground, Coco sniffs the back of my hand which I gladly held out for her. She bops her wet nose against my knuckle, licks my skin tentatively, and then lets me pet and carry her. I stand up with Coco wiggling slightly in my arms. "Joesonghamnida..." I look up to find Mark bowing slightly at me and staring fearfully at Coco.

I hand the cute dog back to him, and he takes her carefully from me. I suddenly feel conscious about the fact that I'm still wet from my late night swim so I start backing off slowly towards the house while watching Mark play with Coco, my arms wrapped around my torso.

"Oh shillejiman..." [Oh excuse me but...] I stop, eyes-wide as I look back at Mark. "Can you please get me paper towels from the house? I need to clean up Coco's poop right there," Mark says, his Korean honorifics still intact. He points to the mini-park in the middle of the garden and all I nod weakly before walking swiftly towards the house. I maybe older than him by a few years but being a newbie in the company somehow puts me at a disadvantage.

Thankfully the kitchen's right next to the back door so it didn't take long for me to find a roll of paper towels. I take handfuls of it to dry myself with, desperately hoping that Mark wouldn't notice the wet state I'm in. Once satisfied, I take the whole roll with me as I walk back outside.

He's not there.

"Mark?" I call out, my heart still drumming in my chest. I may have memorized all their faces because of all the clips I have watched and edited but I still feel flustered by seeing them in real life.  _Maybe I really am better off behind the computer._  "Mark?"

"Yeogiyo!" [I'm here!] He responds from a distance. I walk through the dark parts of the garden and towards the mini-park where he stands, a single light illuminating him and Coco. I can barely make out his words but I'm pretty sure he's scolding Coco for being mischievous again. I hand him the roll and he smiles at me, ultimately shattering my wits. He hands me the dog and proceeds to clean Coco's nasty remnants on the ground. "Noona, are you new?"

"N-ne" I answer, trying hard not to lose my composure after hearing him call me noona.

"Araseoyo. Mwo haseyo?" [I see. What do you do?]

"N-naneun saeloun video PD yeyo." [I'm the new video producer.] I answer politely while hugging Coco, partly because she's cute, and also because she's warm and fuzzy—and Lord knows I'm in dire need of heat right now.

"Ahhh, so that's why I haven't seen you around." His sudden switch to English startles me that I almost drop Coco. He stands up with a thick wad of paper towels in his left hand, a soft smirk playing on his lips. "Geureom, jeoneun Mark imnida." [Well then, I'm Mark.]

"Ne, ara..." I start trembling as I watch him bow to me politely even if I'm definitely physically shorter than him. "S-Sarang imnida..." I mumble, bowing hastily. I look up to him only to find an inexplicable horrified look on his face.  _Is it my pronounciation? My grammar?! Oh my god, what did I say?!_

"Sorry, did you just say 'I love you' to me?" He's almost laughing now, and I'm almost in tears upon hearing him talk in English again.

"What?! No! Oh my god!" I answer back, glad we're finally making sense to each other. "I said I'm Love... Like, my name is LITERALLY Love." I stress my last two words, trying to hold my laughter in. He seems to find it hilarious too. "Everyone here calls me Sarang so I figured I might as well introduce myself like that. I guess it's not a good idea after all..." We both burst out laughing.

I shake my head and hand Coco back to him. "Sorry, I'm really anxious about speaking in Korean because I grew up in Australia. But I know how to say it properly, I just—this is the first time I'm speaking to anyone of you after weeks of seeing your faces on my computer screen at work so I'm not at all prepared for this," I ramble on and on as we start walking towards the trash bins near the back door.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Mark says before dumping Coco's poop into one of the bins. "I'm sure you'll get used it soon."

"Sarang-ah?" We both turn to the direction of the swimming pool where we see Mina loitering, desperately whispering my name in the vast darkness.

"Oh, Mina-yah! Yeogi!" I say, waving at her. She starts running towards me, then stops on her heels when she realizes who I'm with. "Sorry I worried you, I got caught up in... Uhm... Coco's business,"

"O-Okay..." Mina seems aghast by the fact that I'm not even attempting to speak in Korean now, and probably all the more surprised that I'm talking to GOT7's most unsociable member. "Annyeong haseyo, j-jeoneun Mina imnida."

"Annyeong haseyo," Mark says, returning her greeting. I suddenly feel chills running down my spine and remember that I'm still soaking wet. As if on cue, Mark turns his eyes to me and I instinctively wrap my arms around my torso. There's something about the way he looks at me that I can't seem to shake or understand completely. Is curiosity? Intrigue? Interest? Fascination? 

"Sorry to interrupt you but Sarang-ah, there's something really important we need to talk about. Maybe we should go ahead?" Mina interjects. She bids Mark goodbye before pushing me through the back door. I look back to steal one last look at Mark and our eyes meet again. The image of his sweet smile is burning a hole at the back of my skull as we move out of his sight.

Mina locks the door to our room and closes the curtains before violently throwing a towel to my face. "What was that?! I turn my back on you for a few minutes and you end up chatting with Mark?!" Somehow, my brain isn't having problems translating words.

"Believe me, I have no idea how that happened too. I was just walking back to the house and he came out of nowhere and asked me to fetch paper towels for Coco's poop!"

"Jinjja?!" Mina's giving me her crazy eyes again. "But why was he out with Coco at this hour?!"

"How would I know! Maybe Coco really needed to go..."

"But think about it... If Coco really needed to go she'd poop inside the house. She's a dog!" I watch Mina pace back and forth while I dry myself. "And if Mark knew Coco really had to go, why did he forget the paper towels?! Why did he have to ask you? He didn't know you. And if all you did was fetch the paper towels for him, what took you so long?! I was very worried, I thought you drowned or something!" I laugh at her as I head to the bathroom.

"Mina-yah, I told you I was part of the swim team, right? Besides, I'm sure running into Mark is just an accident. Don't think about it too much." I say, stepping into the shower to drown out the rest of Mina's theories. I let the warm water run down my cold skin while replaying everything in my head.

_It's just an accident._


	4. Little Miss Insider (M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Some cussing and alcohol involved in this chapter.

"Hahaha! Stop, that's bullshit!"

Click.

I hit the spacebar and press a combination of keys to mark the exact moment Jackson swore on cam—and in English no less. He was teasing Mark about something while waiting backstage before their Inkigayo performance.

"Hyung, we're still filming!" Bambam said in Korean, his hand still on the camera.

"Jinjja?!" Jackson confirmed before covering his mouth in embarrassment. Mark giggled, clearly enjoying the mishap. "Oh, jeosonghamnida!" Jackson slapped his mouth several times.

"Love Noona, please edit that out..." Mark said directly to the camera with a warm smile.

Click.

 _He said what?!_  I go back, hitting the keys like a maniac.

Click.

"Love noona..."

Click.

"Love noona..."

Click.

"Yah!" I take my headphones off to look at Mina who sits right across me. "What is wrong with you? You keep hitting they keys like you want to break your keyboard!" There's a look of annoyance on her face so I apologize quickly before gesturing for her to come over. "What is up with you?" I hand her my headphones wordlessly.

Click.

"Love noona..." I watch annoyance, surprise, and amazement pass through Mina's face in a matter of seconds. I press my ear against one side of my headphones, hoping to hear the rest of the things they're saying.

"Mark hyung, who are you talking to?" Bambam asked, shifting the camera towards the eldest member. Jackson seemed to have momentarily forgotten the fact that he said a bad word on cam and was waiting for Mark's answer.

"I was talking to Love noona" Mark answered, his face placid except for the playful smile on his lips.

"Who's Love noona?" Jackson asked.

"She's the new video PD" Mina gasps beside me.  _He remembers me._  I really shouldn't be so surprised because we basically work in the same business unit, but this is definitely unexpected. "Love noona, annyeong haseyo! Jackson, say hello," Mark ordered. Jackson immediately cleared his throat in response, eyes focused on the camera.

"Annyeong hasseyo, noona! Please remove this clip from the video, mianheyo!" He said, smiling sweetly. 

Click.

"I am so keeping this clip for myself," I whisper. Mina's mouth is still hanging open minutes after seeing the clip, making me laugh. I can't believe an accidental encounter with Mark would lead to this. For a new JYPE employee, this is huge progress.

"Sarang-ah, since you're friends with them now, you have to promise you're going to introduce me to Jaebum, okay?" Mina says, holding both of my hands. I nod enthusiastically, though I'm not entirely sure if "friends" would be the right term to use in this situation. I really don't think a chance encounter—in the dark and through a very awkward introduction—constitutes as instant friendship.

Aside from the secret shout out, I also did not expect to find myself swamped with additional video projects. Mina and I had to split the edits for the next fan DVD and the amount of behind-the-scenes footage I have to go through might just be detrimental to my mental health. By the end of the workday, I'm just about ready to never see Jinyoung's angel face ever again.  _Or not._

Me gustas tu, me gustas tu...

My phone jolts me out of my reverie.

"Hello?" Says the voice on the other end of line. I glance at my phone again, taking note of the unknown number on my screen. "Hello? Is this Love Kangjeon's phone?" The distinctive  accent seems rather familiar.

"Yeah, may I know who this is?" I say, letting my natural Australian twang flow. I can see Mina smiling at me from my peripheral vision while I pack my belongings.

"Love, it's me, Olivia! I'm here in Korea!"

"Oh my god, Liv! Where are you? I'm getting off work right now d'you want to meet up?" I ask, excitement flowing through my body as I wave goodbye to Mina. She nods at me, and casually reminds me of my half-made promise before mouthing "Annyeong!"

"Well I'm actually still in a meeting right now but I'm free at around 10PM, do you want to go clubbing? I promised you I'd treat you when I visit, right?" We agree to meet at the speakeasy club we once went to in Gangnam. We both say our goodbyes and I immediately put my phone down to hail a cab. That's when I notice the fangirls and fanboys waiting patiently outside our building—a sight I'll probably never get used to in a million years. They all look so disappointed to see me get out of the building. They're probably waiting for WonderGirls, or 2PM, or even GOT7.

"Excuse me," Says a tiny voice in English. A kid, who appears to be just around 9 or 10 years old, is pulling at my right sleeve cutely. She's wearing a pink beanie on her head of brown hair and is standing beside a shy teenage girl who's quietly holding a huge paper bag adorned with fancy colored tissue papers inside. "Do you know Jackson from GOT7?"

"Yes, he's my friend!" I answer, stooping down to face her and giving her my warmest smile. Her face suddenly lights up. Don't get me wrong, I hate having to lie to her—or to anyone for that matter—but the look of desperation on her face is killing me.

"Is he inside?" She asks.

"Oh sorry he's not there. GOT7 is out filming something today so they won't be coming any time soon." I look around to see other people eavesdropping on us and I realize they must have waited a long time to see the boys too. I also realize that I have missed several taxis while talking to the girl.

"Oh okay..." The little girl says, her soft voice barely audible. She sighs and looks to me with renewed hope. "I have gifts for them from Canada. Do you think you can hand it to them for me?"

"Of course, sweetie! Does it have your name on it so I can tell them who it's from?" She nods at me in response and then turns to the teenage girl who I assume is her sister, just because they have the same hair and eyes. The teenage girl hands me the paper bag and I stand properly to take a look at what's inside. It contains seven neatly wrapped care packages but one of them looks bigger and heavier than the others. "Oh my gosh, these are so pretty!"

"Thank you! I'm Emily and this is my sister Ellie. We came all the way from Canada to see them, but our flight back home is tomorrow..." The teenage girl ends her sentence with a sad smile and it makes me feel terrible for lying and whining at work. It's not every day that I get to witness how awesome my job is, just staring at these guys on my screen nine hours a day, even seeing them at shoots or around the office every once in a while.

"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure they get this," I say, guilt starting to creep in. I immediately flag a cab to remove myself from the situation, especially since the other fans are eyeing us curiously now. "I'm sorry, I have to go now but I'll bring this to them tomorrow, I promise."

"Thank you very much," The teenage girl finally speaks up. "May we know your name before you go?" She further asks with a grateful smile.

"My name is Love, nice to meet you! Bye bye!" I wave at them before getting inside the taxi. I can see them waving back joyfully outside the car, tears almost springing from their eyes. I start to panic.  _How the heck am I supposed to give this to GOT7?_  

I think about all the possible ways to get the gift to them on the way home. This includes asking the directors, the stylist noona, and even JYP himself. But I scrap that thought immediately because not only am I not personally close to these people, I also have a feeling I'm not supposed to receive gifts for the artists.  _What was I thinking?! I might get fired for this!_

I decide to forget the problem I have made for myself and concentrate on my current situation instead—I have less than two hours to prepare for a night out, which I haven't done in quite a while. This should be interesting.

An hour and a half later, I'm waiting for Liv in a posh basement bar in Agpujeong. Above it is a wine shop that's barely noticeable except for a vintage blinking light with an arrow pointing downwards. I remember spending three hours trying to find it the first time Liv and I came to Korea because we heard it's where most K-Pop stars hang out without having to deal with fans and paparazzi. You can't get in if you can't tell the wine seller the correct password, and it took Liv a lot of research to find out and text me the code for tonight, apparently so that I can sit and sulk by myself at the bar.

Right now, though, my main concern is my best friend. I have called her phone number six times already to no avail. We've known each other since college and we've traveled a lot together so I know it's not uncharacteristic of her to be late, but it is not like her to not be answering calls.

I'm almost done with my first drink when my phone rings. "Hey, Liv, where are you?" I ask, trying to mask my irritation.

"Love, listen, I'm really sorry but I don't think I'm going to make it tonight."

"Why, what happened?"

"I'd love to tell you now, mate, but it's a really long story."

"Can you at least tell me where you are?"

"I'm in the hospital right now."

"Oh my god, are you okay?!"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Listen, I have to go now but text me your address, I'll be there tomorrow and I promise I won't sit you up this time." We end the call, and a sigh escapes me. I quickly finish my drink, prepare to pay the bill and leave. I hate to admit I have wasted an hour fixing my hair for nothing.

"Excuse me," The good looking bartender says in his impressive English. "I hope you're not leaving yet because someone just bought this for you," He sets a beautiful red and orange cocktail in front of me and my eyes go wild as I look around. This is the first time someone's ever bought me a drink in Seoul. "It's from our VIPs," He adds before leaving.

I take a sip of the drink, consciously looking around the dark bar for the mystery VIP until my eyes zero in on one of the tables. A group of people are gathered in a cozy, velvet-upholstered alcove at the far end of the room. I shift in my seat to get a better look.  _Why do they look familiar?_  

My eyes latch onto another pair of eyes looking directly at me. He's wearing a stylish printed jacket, a plain black shirt, and super tight pants. He raises his glass of liquid to me, his plump lips upturned into a pretty smile.

_Fucking hell..._


	5. The English-Only Zone (M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Alcohol involved this chapter. Just a heads up for all ya teenagers out there. Don't drink and drive. Or something.

_It's BamBam._

He's sitting in between Jackson and Mark along with three other people I can't positively identify from where I sit. My cheeks are warming up at the sight of his naughty smile and I raise my glass to him before sipping appreciatively.

"You would not believe what's happening RIGHT. NOW." I type, both in Korean and English. The moment I hit send to both Mina and Liv, a slender shadow towers over me.

"Noona..." I look up to find Mark smiling at me.

"Hey, Mark!" I say, immediately locking my phone screen.

"I realized it's you so I came over," He props his arm comfortably on the bar. Hearing him talk in English is enchanting.

"Yeah, about that..." I steal a glance at BamBam who's watching us anxiously from afar. "He just bought me a drink and I haven't met him personally yet so he probably doesn't know that I'm a JYPE staff. Is he even SUPPOSED to be here?"

"Well he's not really drinking so, yeah..." Mark explains. I nod slightly before taking a sip of my drink again.  _Damn this one's burning a hole in my gut, what is this anyway?!_  "So how about you? Are YOU supposed to be here?" He asks and I laugh shyly at his coy question.

"I'm supposed to be here with someone—a friend from Australia. But she got caught up in something and she can't make it so I've decided to go solo tonight," I answer, toying with the pineapple garnish hanging from the lip of my cocktail glass.  _Whatever this drink is, it's poisoning my mouth. When have I decided to go solo, what am I talking about?!_

"You should join us, then!"

"What?! Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course! BamBam is dying to meet you,"

"Stop, he's like WAAAY too young for me," I warn as I take my purse and hop off the bar stool in my tight navy blue dress and high heels. Mark signals to the barista and asks him to send my drink over to their table. I almost lose my shit when I finally see who the boys are hanging out with.

"Oh hey, who's this?" Says Super Junior's Henry. Everyone in the celebrity circle turns to look at me. I then look at Mark in panic and he flashes a charming smile that would've made any fan faint, but only makes me want to punch him in the arm right now.

"This is Love noona, she's from JYP too," Mark answers before plopping in his rightful place on the couch.

"A-annyeong haseyo! Kangjeon Love imnida." [Hello, my name is Love Kangjeon.] I say, bowing politely to them. Henry holds his hand out to me and introduces himself with "Hi, I'm Henry," like he actually needed to do that. Sitting in between Henry and Jackson, Amber from f(x) reaches out to shake my hand too.

"Oh testosterone break, yay! I'm Amber." She says, giving me the warmest smile ever. I smile back but inside I'm internally screaming. "Are you a trainee at JYP?" She further asks.

"Oh, no, no! I'm a video PD," I say, shaking my head. Never in my life have I imagined myself as a trainee. I look around to find Jackson whispering something to Mark. BamBam looks super flustered in between them. At the other end of the couch beside Henry sits a very comfortable Rap Monster, the well-spoken leader of Bangtan Boys.

"Kim Namjoon, nice to meet you." His handshake is firm.  _Dammit, how can he be a few years younger than me and way cooler than I'll ever be in 10 lifetimes?_   "These guys call me Joon so just call me that." I nod in response, struggling to wrap my head around the current situation. It's surprising how easy it is for him to talk to me in English when he's actually 100% Korean. I heard this kid is smart but he sounds way smarter in person.

"Noona, please sit here!" Jackson points to the empty spot in between BamBam and Mark, and I oblige, my arm brushing against theirs. The waiter appears out of nowhere to set my drink on the glass table before us.

"Hi, nice to meet you!" BamBam says in his adorable English. "Did you like the drink? It's a Tequila Sunset." He sputters eagerly while holding his lime fizz. I nod in response. Before I can even say thank you, Amber interrupts us with a nifty question.

"Oh, by the way, did Mark tell you that we only speak English here?"

"Pardon?"

"She'll be fine, she's Australian." Mark answers vaguely as I look from Amber to him and back. He winks at me before bringing the bottle of beer to his lips.

"Oh really?" Jackson pipes in. I never thought his unassuming, wide-eyed smile would look so much more appealing up close. His charming innocence on television looks larger than life right now. "I seriously thought she's Korean!" He adds, addressing everyone.

"I am Korean," I say in my native Australian accent. Everyone looks at me with interest. "Well, I'm half-Australian but I was born in Busan. We moved to Sydney when I was three and I came back here after college."

"How old are you then?" Henry asks.

"I'm 25," I say taking a sip of my drink. Jackson and Mark throw snickering glances at BamBam. It took all my willpower not to elbow Mark. BamBam seems embarrassed but unapologetic of the fact that he bought me a drink.

"Ah, unnie!" Amber responds.

"Hey, you said this is an English-only group so I refuse to be called unnie..." I answer laughing, before turning to the boys beside me. "...Or noona! So you guys are better off calling me Love." Everyone's smiling at me now and it's making me feel like I actually belong to this crowd. They all argue that BamBam should still call me noona because he's the youngest and he agrees. 

"Your name fits you very well," Namjoon comments, his dimples making me blush.

"Yeah, you look lovely," BamBam says along with his fan service smile. I've seen that look on him so many times that now I feel like I'm seeing things.

"Thank you, but I don't always look like this, FYI," I snicker. These guys have no idea how long it took me to curl my hair into long, natural-looking waves, figure out what to wear, and do my I-swear-I'm-not-a-celebrity-stalker makeup look.

"Be careful, he's a player," Jackson whispers to me, his muscular arms blocking off BamBam's face. I laugh in response, my heart melting by the minute.  _The fangirl in me is screaming._

"Oh it's fine, I'm used to him. We may have just met but you'd be surprised at how much I already know about you guys," I answer boldly.  _This drink will be the death of me, I can tell already._  They ask me to explain what my job is about and I oblige, filling them in on the many things I know about GOT7 despite the fact that they barely see me.

"Okay, wait, I have to say this. Your Aussie accent is adorable!" Amber says, a huge smile painted on her face. I can feel the blood forming in my cheeks. "You sounded way different when you spoke Korean a while ago!"

"Honestly, a lot of people say that but I don't hear any difference,"

"There is! I swear there's a difference. Joon, what do you think?" Amber turns to the young rapper.

"It does sound very different," He answers. "You probably don't notice it because you've gotten used to it. I get comments like that too, they say they like my African-American accent but I'm not even trying, really. I just keep listening to music like that and I adapted to it pretty easily."

"Sometimes, I can still hear my Thai accent when I speak English even if I'm studying in an international school," BamBam says. The fact that he's still in school makes it all the more disconcerting for me that his arm is draped comfortably across the back of my seat.

"Jackson sounds American!" Henry, who I think is starting to slur, comments loudly.

"I don't think I sound like anything," Jackson answers.

"Exactly, mate, me too!"

"No, you sound Australian," He says, teasing me. Everyone laughs, including me. I just can't help it with this guy. Everything he says—on tape and in real life—sounds funny as heck. "I speak different languages so I can't adapt an accent. But your accent is cute," He points at me with a scoff.  _Is this real life?_

We talk more about accents and learned languages and living in South Korea, our home far away from home (except for Namjoon, of course). We talk about the last time we came back to our hometowns and how things have changed since the last time we're there. For me, it's been a while since I last went home and as much as I want to come back it's definitely harder now that I'm working full time.

By the time I have finished my Tequila Sunset, I can barely feel my lips and I can tell Henry's shots are taking full effect too. Before he loses his bearing, BamBam asks us to take a group selca. I stand up and offer to take a photo of them instead so I won't have to appear on it. I guess I'm just so used to being behind-the-scenes that the thought of being in a celebrity selca kind of sickens me...  _Or maybe that's just the drink._

"Love, are you okay?" Mark asks quietly as I sit back down gently. I turn to him with a bright smile, hoping it would lessen my embarrassment at being drunk in front of him.

"I'm fine, just a little bit drunk, thanks to BamBam." I slur, earning a smirk from him. I turn to Bambam with the sweetest smile I could muster. "BamBam-ssi, kamsahamnida!" I say, piling on the aegyo since I'm sure my reddened cheeks would take me to that route anyway.

"Oh, you're so cute!" BamBam says, his smile never leaving his face. Jackson starts shaking BamBam in delight, something the younger member seems to be used to by now. "Noona, can we take a selca? I promise not to post it!" He adds. I scoot near him and he puts his arm around my shoulders while angling his phone to fit the both of us.  _God, my cheeks are so red._

He takes several photos of us, changing smiles and angles every now and then. After a few shots Jackson and Mark squeezes into the frame and we all make funny faces for the next few photos. "Okay, we're done here," I say squirming away from BamBam who seems to be enjoying holding me close, and Mark who's arguing to take more photos. "You promised not to post that, right?"

"I know I promised, but I still have one condition," BamBam replies, still not taking his hand off my back. I ask him what it is. "I'll keep our picture private... Only if you give me your number." His resolute smile is disconcerting. I start to laugh nervously.


	6. We're Good Tonight

"Trust me, he's not gonna stop until you give him your number," Mark whispers to me, his breath almost tickling my nape. BamBam winks at him before waving our photo at me with pure contempt. I sigh dramatically before taking his phone and typing my number in.

"Okay, now I can text you my SNS and we can follow each other!" BamBam says, saving my name in his contacts list as "Love" followed by heart emojis.  _Dear God, I hope the sasaengs don't ever catch my name on his phone screen or he'll be dead turkey._  He turns to me and raises his pinky finger. "I promise I won't post it. I'll send you the photos, though, so you'll remember me."

"BamBam, I see your face at work everyday. I don't think I'll ever have a chance to forget you."

"I like her, she's sex—sassy. She's sassy!" Henry interrupts, laughing loudly afterwards. I can't help but giggle seeing the crazy look on his face.

"Oookay... I think it's time for us to leave," Amber says, nudging Henry to stay upright. 

"Our driver's outside, I'm taking Namjoon with us. Are you guys gonna be okay?" She asks, taking full control despite the many vodka shots she took a while ago. Namjoon stands up along with Amber, his swagger unaffected by whatever it is he consumed.

"Yeah, we're getting a taxi," Jackson answers.

"Love, how are you gonna get home?" Amber turns to me, her face full of concern.

"I'm getting a taxi too," I give her my most a confident smile as we walk towards the back exit with several bouncers ushering us out safely.  _So this is what it's like being a celebrity, huh? You get to leave a club without the embarrassment of staggering drunkenly into the the street._

"It was nice meeting you, I hope I bump into you again," Namjoon says. We reach the wine shop that keeps the club away from the preying eyes of the public. I tell him it was nice meeting him too and that I hope he would remember me even after this since we work in different companies. "Of course I would, Love is a very unusual name and that face is too pretty to forget," He retorts, making my cheeks heat up. He notices my reaction and laughs before handing me his calling card. 

Amber, Henry, and Namjoon bid their goodbyes. They make me promise to join them again some other time. I say yes, waving and bowing repeatedly as they enter SM Town's heavily tinted car.

"Wait where do you live? We'll take you home," Mark suddenly offers, probably sensing my dizziness after bowing so many times.

"Just in Cheongdam-dong. But it's fine, I can take myself home."

"Oh that's where our dorm is!" BamBam exclaims. "Maybe you're along the way, we'll drop you off."

"No, seriously, I'm fine."

"No, we're taking you home." Jackson says with a finality that instantly stuns me. He flags a taxi and opens the door for us before getting into the passenger seat. Without saying a word, Mark takes my hand and gets into the cab, pulling me along. BamBam squeezes in beside me after waving to some girls who apparently spotted him across the street.

There's a momentary silence as the car eases into Seoul's midnight traffic. I wish I could call Mina to tell her that I'm anxiously stuck in a GOT7 sandwich right now. Mark is silently staring outside. I look at my hand, which he held for a very brief moment. I feel like there's a ghost of his hand on my skin and I can't figure out why it feels like that. BamBam pulls me out of my drunken reverie by asking me for my opinion on his outfit and his hair. I shower him with compliments and he smiles. Jackson joins in and teases BamBam about his relentless pursuit for approval.

They bicker for a while, giving me enough time to steal a glance at Mark. He suddenly turns to me and catches me looking. I smile at him, my head spinning. He smiles back and says, "We're almost at JYPE, are you near here?"

I look outside and realize we're already driving through Dosan-daero. "N-ne. I live right behind Cheongdam Park, actually," I say. Jackson turns to the driver and instructs him to go through Yeongdong-daero. I'm not entirely sure where their dorm is exactly located, but it seems like they know the neighborhood better than I do. "Wow, how do you know my street address?" I ask Jackson.

"I didn't know actually, I was just guessing. Am I right?" I nod in response, "Oh jinjja?! I have friends who live there, that's why I know." I'm not surprised at all. Jackson has a lot of friends, he's just the kind of guy everyone likes to hang out with. I suddenly remember the gifts from Emily and Ellie. I check my watch, it's just a little past midnight. From what I know about these boys they never sleep early unless they have full schedules ahead.

"I see. So..." I start, hoping that the remnants of Tequila Sunset would bring me enough courage and luck. "Do you guys want to hang out at my place for a bit? I have a popcorn maker... I mean, that's just in case you want to sober up before heading back to your dorm," I see BamBam's face light up. He shoots Mark a pleading look, probably hoping that the eldest hyung would say yes. Mark turns to Jackson for wordless advice.

"Do you have cheese popcorn?" Jackson asks, obviously excited.

"Yup, I can make that," I answer, smacking my lips for extra emphasis.  _I will never regret the day I bought that machine off eBay on impulse._  They start cheering like little kids, reminding me of the fact that I'm actually the oldest in the group.

Jackson starts filling me in on his lengthy knowledge of people living in our neighborhood. Apparently I live a block away from this comedian, and that actor. This female idol group lives next street and that idol frequents that cafe. I have been living in this neighborhood for two years and I have never once bumped into any of them. We reach Yeongdong-daero and I ask the taxi driver to turn to the cul de sac hidden off the road by a huge arch.

"Woah," BamBam exclaims when he sees the tall fountain block standing in the middle as the taxi enters the driveway. "Is this where you live?" He asks.

"Yeah, my apartment is somewhere up there," I say, pointing to the east wing building of the residential complex. Before anyone can argue, I hand the taxi driver my credit card and lead them towards the huge foyer of the building. The huge glass door slides open and we find the young receptionist shell-shocked upon seeing my guests. 

"Annyeong," I say, waving at her as we make our way to the lifts.

"A-Annyeong haseyo!" She responds warily from behind her black marble desk. She signals for me to come closer and whispers to me. "Ahgassi, isn't that Jackson Wang? Are they your guests?"

"Ne," I answer, watching her ogle the boys behind me.

"Omo! Can I get a selca with them?" She pleads, her phone already in her hands.

"Oh mianhe, but they're not in the best position right now." I whisper back, my panic rising in my gut. "Bimileul yuji juseyo. [Please keep it a secret.] They're not just idols, they are my friends and I respect their privacy. Araseo?" I add, patting her hand carefully and giving her my nicest smile. She nods at me and goes back to her original position behind the desk, throwing occasional glances even after we get into the elevators. Honestly, the last thing I want is for sasaengs to be waiting outside my door, looking for them. 

We reach the penthouse floor and walk towards the far end of the hallway. There's a collective sigh of amazement the moment they step in. I'm not one to brag, but I'm brave enough to invite friends over because I hustled hard to make this place pretty. I designed my loft-style penthouse apartment on my own, buying bits and pieces of old furniture and restyling them to complete my shabby chic vision in the span of two years. "Oh my god, your flat is way better than our dorm. Do you live here on your own?" Jackson asks, taking his shoes off by the door.

"Yeah, I'm not really good with roommates..." I say, walking barefoot with my heels in one hand. "You guys make yourselves at home while I get changed. There's food in the fridge if you're hungry."

"Yes please, I'm starving!" Mark says. I point him to the kitchen as I head upstairs. I can hear them wandering around as I wipe my party makeup off my face, tie my hair in a ponytail, and change into my usual white shirt and sweatpants. I polish my bare face with moisturizer and a bit of tint on my cheeks and my lips, just so I don't look like a whole different person to them.

I check the paper bag sitting on top of my dresser for the last time. The packages have been painstakingly decorated with doodles and cute drawings of each member. Emily and Ellie also included Polaroid pictures of themselves in full merch swag, their Twitter accounts handwritten on the space underneath. I can't help but think of them as I head back downstairs, and how they unwittingly managed to help me make new friends after two years of holing up in this nest.


	7. First Impressions (M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Alcohol use in this particular chapter, it's a social setting so... You know... Also contains some sexual references but it's all in the name of friendly banter...

"I have cupcakes too, they're on the top shelf," I announce upon finding the boys gathered around the fridge, opening a box of brownies.

"Did you bake these?" Mark asks, his mouth half-full with brownies. BamBam is busy opening the top shelf of the fridge and Jackson is pouring himself a glass of water.

"Oh no, I buy them from an old lady downstairs," I say, opening one of the kitchen cabinets and taking out a jar of corn kernels. "We see each other a lot at the park on weekends. She doesn't do much because she's retired so all she does is bake and I buy her goodies whenever I can. I never get to finish the whole box though so you can take it with you if you want." The said old lady is, quite frankly, the closest I get to having a friend here in Korea. 

I manage to gather everything I need for the cheese popcorn in a few swift movements. Jackson Wang seems to be getting my drift. He sits himself on the barstool across the distressed kitchen counter and peels the packaging off a cheddar cheese slice. BamBam and Mark are happily devouring the sweets they took from the fridge while wandering around my apartment, pointing to bits and pieces of decor and furniture. "Don't you get sad here? I can't imagine myself living alone." Jackson asks.

"Not really. I like being alone," I take out the popcorn maker from one of the kitchen cabinets and then watch his eyes go wild. "Give me 10 minutes, I promise this popcorn will be worth it." I say, heating up the red and yellow mini-cart with wheels. It looks like it belongs to a carnival, not a kitchen, but who the heck would dare argue when the popcorn smell is making a Hongkong-born K-Pop idol spazz out like a kid.

"Hey, can I use your bathroom?" BamBam asks, peeking behind Jackson.

"Of course! It's upstairs, first door to the left." I say. BamBam leaves for the bathroom. Meanwhile, Mark decides to sit on the barstool beside Jackson. They ask me where I got the popcorn maker, and why. I tell them that I used to have nothing in my apartment other than some housewarming wine, two trunks full of clothes, a bed, a laptop, and a Wi-Fi router. One night, while drinking wine from a paper cup, I craved for popcorn and decided to buy the tiny carnival popcorn machine online. Needless to say, it was the first ever kitchen appliance I ever bought. It even came in before the stove and the microwave.

They start laughing like crazy at the idea that my first investment—besides my flat—is a cute popcorn maker. "Hey, trust me, it's worth every penny. Red wine and soju tastes amazing with popcorn, but let's just stick to grape sodas tonight, okay?" I say, setting two cans in front of them.

"Woah," We suddenly hear BamBam gasping from upstairs. "Yo, check this out, man!" He says, making his hyungs jump up from their seats.  _Looks like they found my treasure trove._  I start cooking the cheese sauce while listening intently to the footsteps upstairs.

"Oh my god, it's like we're in a department store."  _That's probably Jackson._

"Hey what's going on up there?!" I ask, anxiety building as I mix butter and cheese in a saucepan.

"Dude, your closet is huge!" Mark shouts from above.

"Well, I'm a girl, in case you can't tell," I shout back. The smell of popcorn is filling the air. I immediately transfer the popped kernels into a huge bowl. "Oh, there's something for you guys on top of my dresser. It's in a brown paper bag." I say as loud as I can while pouring cheese sauce into the bowl of popcorn.

"What?! What paper bag?" Jackson says.

"The brown one, on top of the white dresser... BUT DON'T OPEN THE DRE—!" I hear Jackson's loud laugh and immediately regret that I even said anything about it. All my intimates are right there, on the first drawer of the dresser.

"Nope, too late for that. Sorry!" Mark screams, laughing along.

"Don't you dare touch my underwear!" I threaten, laughing despite my embarrassment. I take the bowl of popcorn and the unopened soda cans to the dining table, blood rushing to my face as they make their way back down.

"Love, why is your face so red?!" Mark asks, still laughing. I see BamBam holding the paper bag in his arms, a sly smile spreading across his face.  _I guess what matters now is that they have Emily and Ellie's gift._

"Are you mad? I swear we didn't mean to see it, I opened it before you asked not to open it," Jackson clarifies, grinning as he plops down on the seat across me. I have two answers to his question: I could (a) tell him I feel slightly offended that they've decided to invade my private stuff (for my literal privates), or (b) just casually shrug the humiliation off.

"No, no, I'm not mad!" I grab a bunch of popcorn from the bowl before us. "I mean, who cares if you guys saw my underwear stash on the first night we all got together, right? It's no big deal!" I laugh sarcastically before stuffing a handful of popcorn into my mouth. They all laugh.

"Okay, to be fair, we thought they're all pretty, like—" Mark stops mid-sentence to laugh at my wide-eyed, horrified look. "—I was expecting to see condoms or thongs and stuff like that but you didn't have any," He adds, making the boys snicker in delight while eating popcorn.

"Because I have no use for any of those and, FYI, thongs are not comfortable."  _I can't believe we're doing adult talk right now._

"But aren't they supposed to be sexy?" Jackson asks, surprisingly fully attentive. I shake my head in response.

"No, you know what's sexy? Lace, lots of them... " BamBam interjects. "I kinda like the white lace panties, and the see-through black panties...

"And the red lace bra!" Jackson adds. They turn to me with all-knowing looks while watching my cheeks fire up.

"No, but I think I like the pink Hello Kitty boxers the best. They're super cute," Says Mark. "JB would probably love the Bart Simpsons—"

"Oh my god, can we please change the subject?!" I plead, fanning my face with my cheese-free hand. The boys are laughing wildly, hands clutching their stomachs. I would be feeling really awkward if not for the fact that I'm still buzzed. The laughter finally dies down, giving me an opportunity to talk again. "Anyway, you guys should open that bag. Jackson, the biggest care package is for you,"

"For me?" He asks, his mouth half-full. I nod at him before passing paper towels so that he can wipe his hands clean before opening his present. We all wait for him to carefully unwrap and open the box. "Woah!" Inside the box is a meticulously painted mini-Jackson statuette made of plaster of Paris. Underneath the soles of mini-Jackson's shoes are Emily and Ellie's names.

"These two girls came up to me yesterday while I was waiting for a taxi outside work," I explain, handing them the Polaroids from inside the paper bag. "They said they're from Canada, and they really wanted to see Jackson but you guys were out filming so I just took them." In my most sincere, half-sober state, I manage to confess that I really wasn't sure if I could ever give it to them because we weren't really friends yet. But I felt really bad for the girls who have been waiting all day outside the building. "Come to think of it, I didn't even know you guys would be there tonight. I'm actually glad my friend ditched me!"

"Yeah, because now you have new friends, right?" Jackson says with a smile.

"Wait, so are we REALLY friends now?" I slur.

"Of course!" BamBam answers, gulping down his soda. I turn to Mark for validation.

"Yeah, we've seen your lingerie collection. I think that's enough," He giggles raising his soda can to me.

"Fair enough," I retort, clinking cans with him. "You have no idea how much I've seen of you guys before we even met anyway, so..." I watch their jaws drop open and I can't help but chuckle at the sight of it. Of course I've seen a lot. I've seen them shirtless, cursing, fighting, sleeping, and making obnoxious mistakes that cannot be broadcasted at all cost. Before they can even start asking questions, I hold both my hands up. "Don't even ask. Just know that whenever there's a camera around you, I will see you."

We all agree that they should be free to be who they are, even on cam. It is, after all, the one thing their fans love about them—their adorable authenticity. I promise to keep their clean idol image intact by doing my job well. I can't promise them though that I'll always cut the clips they ask me to edit out. I rarely get to shoot with them, after all, and I'm still under the mercy of the directors and writers.

"So what do we promise? She made hers, we need to make our promise too," Mark tells his two younger members. I can see the wheels in Jackson's head turning. He's doing that eye roll thing that I can never seem to edit out of videos, no matter how much I hate it.

"Let's introduce her to the other members!" BamBam suggests. The first thing that comes to my mind is Mina, who's very keen on meeting GOT7's leader, Jaebum.

"No, no, no, you don't have to do that," I shake my head, despite the very tempting offer. "I'd really rather let it happen naturally because we all work in one company and in one team, it would be ridiculous to never meet the rest of GOT7, right?"

"How about if we introduce you to other artists? Like, tell us who your favorites are and we'll call you when we're hanging out with them," Mark says.

"I swear if you don't say GOT7, we are done here. We're leaving!" Jackson warns, making me crack up for the nth time.

"Aside from GOT7," I answer, giving Jackson a meaningful look. He responds with a very proud smile. "I really like G. Soul, Suzy from MissA, CL from 2ne1, and Jimin from BTS."

"Okay, you already met Rap Monster so BTS is out," Jackson says. I jokingly protest but he shushes me with a cheesy finger. "CL is too cool for us, forget it. Suzy is busy but we'll see. Jihyun hyung is easy to find so THAT we can promise!" The two other boys are nodding as Jackson speaks.

"I'd be happy with an autographed album really, no need for introductions. He seems like a really busy guy." I take a swig of soda, my insides feeling all fuzzy and weird when my eyes meet Mark's gaze.

"Okay, done. Mark, don't forget that," Jackson tells Mark. Mark turns to Jackson and then to me and winks.  _Damn. If I wake up this morning with a bad hangover, I hope I remember that wink._  We continue to talk about G. Soul's soul-shattering music until BamBam's ringing phone interrupts us. 

"Oh, it's JB hyung!" He announces before picking up. We all fall silent for a moment, Jaebum's leader vibe resonating through speakerphone.

"Yoboseo?" JB says.

"Yoboseo? Hyung..." BamBam answers.

"Yah, eodiya? Where's Mark and Jackson?" His voice is placid, almost calm, but you can tell he's mad. BamBam sends an all-knowing look at his two older brothers.

"JB hyung, this is Jackson. I have Mark and BamBam beside me," Jackson says. I squint at them, my brain translating words far slower than usual.

"Eodiya?" JB asks again. I start to feel goosebumps in the worst way possible, I almost want to shake in fear.

"We're at a friend's house near Cheongdam Park." Mark and BamBam seem more silent than usual. Although I know they don't back down from JB as easily as the other members, it still doesn't surprise me that they're letting Jackson talk on their behalf.

"Nugu?" [Who?] I can feel my heart pounding. They all look at my panicked-stricken clueless face.

"Uhm, she's a new friend..." Mark finally speaks up.

"Aishhh!" The leader exclaims, sounding sharper than ever. JB's Korean words are hitting me at full speed now and it's frightening as fuck. "It's three in the morning. Our manager is looking for you. If you're not here in 10 minutes, I swear I'm going to punch you guys until you bleed, araseo?!" We never film them in their dorms but I do hear JB say "wait until we get home" a lot in the clips I edit. I can now imagine what that means.

"Ah, wae? We're just trying to chill, we don't have schedules today anyway!" BamBam is the first to question him.  _This kid is freaking brave._

"It's not about the schedule, it's about you partying until 3AM. What if fans see you?" JB reasons.

"Araseo, we're on our way back now." The very patient and calm Mark seems to always be the first to concede. The line goes dead almost immediately, leaving me shocked.

"Oh my god, I lost track of time! Shit, Sorry guys, mianhe..." I profusely apologize.

"Ani, gwaenchanha. it's very nice meeting you—and I'm not just saying that because you're pretty," BamBam says, finally regaining his smile.

"Hey, thanks for the popcorn!" Jackson says standing up, licking his fingers. Mark picks up the paper bag carefully as he stands.

"No problem! Hey, wait, I have something for JB," I hurry towards the fridge to take out the huge box of cupcakes. "Here, tell him I'm sorry for keeping you up. I'll probably meet him some other time."

"Oh, you're so sweet!" BamBam says as I hand him the box. We all exchange high fives as I lead them to the door. I feel like my soul is about to leave my body by the time they step out. But like every day of my adult life, I try to fight off my tiredness to clean up our mess before turning off all the lights, running upstairs, and collapsing in bed.


	8. Timing, Just Right

***Flashback***

Quite predictably, BamBam created a new KaTalk group chat the morning after and named it "Pop-Porn Buddies". I woke up to the sound of my phone pinging non-stop. They were discussing the inappropriate title BamBam gave the group. I typed in my first message with a huge smile despite the debilitating pain in my head.

 **Love:** Guys, my underwear collection is way too modest for a porn flick. Just saying.

 **BamBam:**  Ha ha ha! There you are! How do you even know for sure?! *wink emoji*

 **Love:**  IDK, probably because I'm old enough to watch Rated R movies? Are you?

 **Jackson:**  Oooohhh buuurn!

 **Mark:**  *laughing emoji*

 **BamBam:**  I will be soon!

 **BamBam:**  Will you watch with me when I turn legal?

 **Love:** HA HA HA! CAN SOMEONE PLS TAKE THIS DIRTY CHILD AWAY?! *blushing emoji*

 **BamBam:** JK JK JK *laughing and crying emoji*

 **Jackson:**  I already hit him on the head for you

 **Love:**  Ha ha ha! I was kidding. But really, guys, thanks for coming over. I have the worst hangover RN but it was worth it. I'm saving all your numbers BTW!

 **Mark:**  We saved yours too. Promise not to give ours to the fans?

 **Jackson:** She won't do that. Right, Love?

 **Love:** Why the heck would I do that?! I don't want to lose my job, guys.

 **Love:**  Was JB mad when you got back?

 **BamBam:** Yeah, we fought a little...

 **Love:** Sorry *crying emoji*

 **Jackson:**  No it's fine, we do that all the time.

 **Mark:**  We're good, don't worry!

Liv came just in time that day with a warm bowl of dak kalguksu [chicken noodle soup] to help me get over my Tequila-Sunset-and-Noisy-KaTalk induced headache. "How did you know I'd be hungover?!" I asked.

"I figured you'd be wasted because of your last text which, by the way, was the worst cliffhanger ever!" She said. I didn't even realize that she replied to the text I haphazardly sent the night before. I quickly told her what happened while sloppily filling my empty stomach with soup. Her jaw dropped, and it took her a while to recover from the shock.

Of course she knew I was working with GOT7, she was the first person I ever told outside my family. She was ecstatic when she found out I got in at JYP Entertainment. She's also the reason I got so hooked on K-Pop. She introduced me to Wonder Girls and 2ne1 back in college. We have fangirled in secret until junior year (which was the year she finally decided that being a popular cheerleader meant nothing if you couldn't enjoy the kind of music you really like). On our senior year, we went on our first trip to South Korea. 

I fell in love with Seoul's beautiful autumn colors. I loved Busan's dreary seas and felt at home with the warm welcome I received when I visited my Granny and other relatives for the first time. That year, I vowed to return to my Korean roots.

My dad was very happy when I told them about my plans a few months before my graduation. My mom, though obviously disappointed that I have finally banished all possibilities of working as a designer in our company, felt glad that I was making clear and bold choices at a young age. It was ambition, after all, that led her to Korea, where she met the man she married.

"Okay, can I just say," Liv said after reading our Kakao exchange. "If BamBam were into me, I would definitely make him my boyfriend. I mean, what's seven years of age difference?! One of my clients told me he's having an affair with a 20-year-old girl and he's bloody old. You wouldn't be the worst cradle snatcher in history." I fervently shook my head in disgust.

"Oh, speaking of client, what happened to you last night?" I asked, remembering how she ditched me without any explanation.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry about that," She said, sulking like a kid. "I was in a meeting yesterday and I went out to eat dinner with this Mr. Hwang guy from Pledis Entertainment because we were trying to get them to do a fashion editorial with us next year—"

"Oh my god, for Spark?! Who are you getting?" I asked, referring to the Australian fashion magazine Liv's mother built back in the 2000s. Liv took over the PR manager post as soon as we graduated, which was why she wasn't able to join me in my crazy Korean adventure back then.

"Seventeen! Oh my goodness, those boys are gorgeous. Have you met any of them?"

"Nope, it's not like I have the time. I've only been working for six months!"

"I haven't either, they were super busy yesterday, I couldn't get a break. Anyway, we were eating dinner and I ordered the fanciest freaking meals on the menu to impress the guy but I didn't know the soup had lobster in it. So Mr. Hwang eats up, loads up on the soup, and the next thing I know he's turning purple and he's choking because he's allergic to bloody lobster!" I gasped and dropped my spoon. She recounted having to leave her credit card to the restaurant manager, calling for an ambulance, and rushing the hyperventilating marketing guy to the nearest emergency room—which was where she called me.

"So what happened to the guy?"

"He got better after four hours so I drove him home. I apologized so many freaking times, my back actually hurts from bowing too much which reminds me—let's go out and get massages!"

"No, no, no, I do not want to leave my house. Look at me! I'm a bloody mess!" I said pointing at my sweatpants and tangled hair.

"It'll cure your hangover, I swear. I've heard about this fabulous spa in Agpujeong. I promised you I'd treat you out right?" She answered before I had to chance to groan about my measly salary.

She was right about a full body massage curing me of my headache. She also got me spending way too much on a new haircut (I got bangs!) and new clothes for autumn. Though we haven't seen each other for a long time, Olivia and I felt like the same bunch of weirdos we were back in college, and I guess that was exactly what I needed at that time.

***Flashforward***

"Aishhh!" Mina breaks the silence just as I'm about to put a kimbap in my mouth. She pays no attention to my surprised face and raises her hand while speaking in informal Korean. "I cannot take this anymore, give me your phone!"

"Ani!"

"Give it!"

"Wae?! Wae?! So you can flood our KaTalk with your fan questions? I promised them I won't talk about it to anyone!" I nag, probably sounding a lot like Jinyoung. I shove a kimbap towards Mina's face to make her stop.

"Jinjja, how long has it been? You guys should be talking non-stop since you met at the bar, how are you supposed to deepen your friendship with them at this rate?!" Her sharp tone makes me drop the kimbap in between my chopsticks and I whine a little at her for not eating it. I stare at the forsaken kimbap for a while before speaking up again.

"Actually, we haven't spoken since their vacation break..." I say, remembering how the boys said goodbye before leaving for the States, Hongkong, and Thailand on the first week of August. It's October already, and I know they're back in Korea but I have not heard from anyone since then. "Maybe they're busy with the new album. You know how it is." I said, justifying my lack of courage to hit them up and invite them over.

"Araseo," Mina says, finally realizing my point. Despite my close KaTalk vigilance day and night, the premise of us becoming close pals is just too good to be true. "They did promise to get you a signed G. Soul album though," She adds, making me blush.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again," I say with a smile. We suddenly hear GFriend blasting from my pocket.

"You need to change your ringtone," Mina chides.

"Yoboseo?" I didn't even look at the caller ID—the perks of having a gesture-friendly phone.

"Aaawww, her voice is so cute!" I hear someone in the background say in English. I steal a glance at the caller ID to confirm who's on the other end of the line before shooting Mina a panicked look. "Hello? Hey, Love!" It's Jackson.

"Yo—Hello? Hey, Jackson!" I answer, quickly switching to English. Mina's eyes automatically widen upon hearing his name and she scoots beside me to eavesdrop.

"Yo, where are you? We're back, baby!" He says, his voice booming. Mina looks like she's about to explode in her seat.

"So I've heard! I'm still at work, why?" I say, trying to keep my chipper voice down. I feel like every time I speak in my native tongue people at work start judging me. They either look surprised, impressed, or annoyed.

"At JYPE?" Jackson asks.

"Uhhh... Yeah, where else would I be?" I can see Mina frantically flailing her hands at me. It's like she's trying to tell me something but I can't seem to understand what she's saying.

"Okay, we'll see you then!"

"Mwo? Geuge museun marieyo?" [What? What are you trying to say?] I say, to both Jackson and Mina.

"We're filming Real GOT7 at JYPE today, we're on our way there!" Jackson answers.

"Oh!" I answer, shock spreading all through out my body... And then I panic. "Ohhh... Okay," We were told about the next episode weeks before and I completely forgot about it. "Uhhh... Okay then! I guess I'll see you!" I say, feigning enthusiasm. I put the phone down as soon as Jackson mutters his goodbye. "Omo, the surprise video!!!" I squeal.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, we're not done with the surprise video!" Mina says, collecting her stuff. We dash out of the pantry so we can finish the surprise video before GOT7 comes in for their filming. On the way to our desks, I finally send another KaTalk message to the boys.

 **Love:**  Hey guys, I have a small favor...

 **Mark:**  Yeah? What is it?

 **Love:**  You know that the people here have no idea we all know each other, right?

 **BamBam:** But you're GOT7 staff, of course we know each other.

 **Love:** No, like, no one here knows we're friends outside of work other than Mina, the other video PD.

 **BamBam:**  Oh ok!

 **Love:**  So, if it's okay...

 **Mark:** You want us to pretend we're not friends?

 **BamBam:** Awww... I'm hurt. *crying emoji*

 **Love:** No! It's not that...

 **Jackson:**  *sad face emoji* Don't you like us anymore?

 **Love:** Oh god, hear me out!

 **Love:** If we ever need to talk with others in the room, just remember I'm your noona. So talk to me like how you address everyone else.

 **Love:** And please no mention of my undies. I am begging you, BamBam. Jebal. *praying emoji*

 **BamBam:** LOL *laughing emoji* Arase o!

 **Mark:**  *thumbs up emoji*

 **Jackson:** Do we have to do acting? I'm bad at acting...

 **Love:** Just treat me like how you treat the other staff, that's all I'm saying.

 **Jackson:** Ha ha ha, just kidding. Okay!

I put my phone down just in time to see Mina staring at me from across our work table. "Yah, I hate to say this but that smile of yours will give you away immediately," She says. I bite my lower lip, failing to realize just how wide my smile has gotten. "By the way the video is done rendering." I look back at my computer and sure enough, the surprise video is done. 

This day is about to look super interesting.


	9. Night Of The Full Moon

A few hours after our hurried lunch, we make our way back to the ground floor with Mina preening all through the elevator ride. She's wearing full make up now, which is surprising because she went to lunch with a bare face. 

I glance at my reflection on the elevator doors and cringe a little at the mess I see. My black shirt is askew, my hair is sticking out everywhere, and I look sick. I quickly finger comb my bangs, tie my hair in a low ponytail, fish the lip balm in my pocket to swipe some moisture on my lips, then slap my cheeks just a little in the hopes of getting a bit more color on my face. I don't know why I'm feeling pressured to look pretty right now (probably because they've only seen me wearing makeup) but I do know that I'm freaking excited for what's about to happen.

We go straight to the pantry, which was closed off to make way for Real GOT7. "Oh they're still filming," Mina says, peeping through the glass doors. I stand beside her to take a look too and I can see the bright lights and the cameras. The boys are seated around the table, with Yugyeom in the middle, talking. We creep towards the director, careful not to make a scene.

"Annyeong haseyo, Gamdog-nim," [Hello, director-nim,] I say to the fellow in black who's silently watching the boys through a small TV monitor.

"Ah, Sarang-ssi, are we all set for the commentary filming?" The director asks, his eyes telling me to be mindful of my response.

"Ne, I have the clips all set in my laptop. May I know where we're going to set up?" Through my peripheral view, I can see heads turning and eyes landing on me, but I try not to move or look anywhere else while the director checks his silver wristwatch.

"Oh, we still have time, you can stay here if you want" he says, smiling. I nod and tell him we'll be standing in the corner.

Mina and I exchange delighted looks as we stand awkwardly by the side. We don't always get to see the boys from this distance so I can tell she's already dizzy being a foot away from JB, who seems to be in such high spirits today. The staff hands each of them apples and knives after Yugyeom explains the mechanics of the game. In my head, I'm already thinking of ways to explain the game to international fans when I edit the video.  _Maybe I should make cute graphics to go along with it?_

The boys immediately start peeling apples, competing to create the longest peel. Jinyoung is expertly skinning the fruit in his hand and Mark and JB seem to be following what he's doing. Yugyeom and Youngjae are peeling bits and pieces. BamBam tries to skin his apple under the table. 

Jackson decides to move away from the rest of them. Mina points to him and we both purse our lips so as not to laugh at his apple-peeling face. He looks like he's wrestling with a bear as he unsuccessfully slices through a huge chunk of the apple. Then he eats the fallen piece sneakily, and we giggle silently. He catches us laughing and gives us a wide, knowing smile before putting his finger against his lips.

"Omo, you're right, he so cute!" Mina whispers. I'm pretty sure the camera caught that moment, and I sure as hell won't edit that out.

"Sarang-ah," Says head writer Jenny, a tall girl with an oval face, wavy hair, and a mole on her right cheek. She's one of the few people I know well from the crew because she visits me at my work desk all the time. "Do you need a copy of the script?" I nod enthusiastically, excited to see what's in store for us in the next two episodes. 

She hands me two sets of stapled papers and I start reading through it. "Yah, it's so nice seeing you hanging out here. You should come to shoots more often!" She says, messing with my fringe. She's just a few years older than me but she's very comfortable to work with.

"Aish, you know we're not used to being here. We don't even know what to do or how to help!"

"You could give the director suggestions for filming so you can edit better, or talk to the boys while they're waiting. I swear these guys need all the people they can talk to, they have so much energy." Jenny says, just before we hear their booming laughter from across the room. They seem to be having a lot of fun with the Post-It Game. She gives me a see-what-I-mean look and I just laugh in response. "I'll introduce you to them later on. Meanwhile just keep an eye out for GOT7's manager, you know he's going to play an important role in Episode 9 right?" She winks and I nod, knowing full well that she's referring to the Halloween special. She then excuses herself to talk to someone and I start going over the script again.

Suddenly, I feel a nudge coming from Mina. "Wae gu re?" [What's wrong?] I ask, still not taking my eyes off the script.

"They are looking at you," She whispers.

"I don't want to look back," I whisper back, my eyes still focused on the paper in my hand. Before she gets the chance to ask me why, gamdog-nim announces a short break, and instructs the staff to remove the table and arrange five chairs in a line.

The boys offer to help out by rearranging the chairs and I watch in awe at the way they act and communicate towards the staff. They're sweet and friendly yet polite in all the ways you'd expect from a co-worker. From where I stand, I get the feeling that the guys have grown up fondly around these people.

A pair of eyes suddenly catch my attention. I didn't realize I was staring mindlessly at BamBam's general direction. His chocolate brown eyes are smiling at me, and I bet he can see how surprised I am at his outright stare. He winks at me before turning to Yugyeom. I look away as fast as I can. "Did you see that? Was I dreaming?" Mina, who standing beside me, asks.

"Mina-yah, close your mouth. You look like a fish caught in a net," I answer giggling. From the corner of my eye I see GOT7's manager approaching Jenny. The head writer turns to me and waves. I immediately take Mina's hand and lead her towards Jenny, who asks us and three other crew members to proceed to the 6th floor. Apparently we need to start setting up at the recording booth before the fake drawing activity is done. I throw one last look at the boys and catch Mark following us with curious eyes as we leave the room.

On the way to the 6th floor we start explaining the plan to GOT7's manager. He seems hesitant at first but proceeds to disguise himself as a ghost the minute we reach the recording room. We spent a lot of time thinking of people who could play the ghost but we settled for their manager because we know they respect their hyung enough to not be mad after finding out about the prank. "I hope they don't hurt me. You have no idea how hard they hit each other," He tells us, laughing.

"Do they really hit each other?! I thought they just like playing around," Mina comments.

"Oh you should see them fight," He says ominously before crouching down under the table. Mina and I exchange surprised looks before moving to our stations. 

Everyone is obviously on an all-time high by the time we wrapped up. Somehow, despite my rumbling stomach (because Mina and I completely forgot to eat dinner), my heart flutters like a butterfly in my chest. I can't keep my face from blushing slightly every time I catch Mark or BamBam or Jackson stealing glances at me. They seem to be telling me telepathically that I have a lot of explaining to do later.

My phone vibrates in my pocket as we head back to our editing stations with the footage from the shoot, but I decide not to check on it until we reach our desks. "Mina-yah, Sarang-ah," Jenny calls out to us while we're waiting for the elevators. "Come with me, I'll introduce you to the boys!"

"Eh?" I hear Mina say. I can already tell what she's about to say. "But Sarang already met them."

"I met them a while ago while we're filming!" I clarify, giving Mina a stealth I-Hate-You look. "Oh and we need to copy all the files as soon as possible so..."

"Aishhh, what are you talking about? It's 2AM on a Saturday!" Mina says, annoyed because she obviously wanted to meet JB.

"She's right, we're not supposed to be working today. Besides, we're going out to eat afterwards so whether you like it or not you're coming with me." Jenny takes both of our wrists and drags us back to the filming site.

"JB!" Jenny calls out. Mina instantly blushes at the sound of her bias' name. "I want you guys to meet the masterminds of Episode 9!" Upon hearing this, GOT7's leader gathers the rest of the members to face us.

"Everyone, I don't think you've met these girls before because they're always hiding downstairs but they are our video PDs too. They are in-charge of editing our videos after filming. Girls, say hello!"

"Annyeong haseyo, Kangjeon Love imnida," I bow. 

"Aigoo, I thought your real name is Sarang!" Jenny says, laughing. Mina introduces herself after me and I can feel her trembling as she bows because she's right in front of JB now.

"Ah noona, we're you the one who suggested this hidden camera prank?" Jinyoung turns to me curiously to confirm.

"Ne, mianheyo!" I bow again, feeling shy as heck. "We suggested to do a prank video because we think our ahgases would enjoy it a lot. Sorry if it stressed you out," I add.

"It's okay we had fun today!" BamBam answers politely, a pretty smile plastered on his face.

"Aniyo, it wasn't fun for me," Jackson says bluntly in Korean and English. We all laugh. "I have a weak heart, I feel like I'm about to have a cardiac arrest when I saw the face on the screen! And hyung is already scary without the costume." Youngjae laughs and JB nods in agreement with Jackson. We laugh again when Jinyoung points out that manager-nim is eyeing us from a distance. Jenny then announces that the crew are treating the boys to Korean barbecue to make up for the cruel, but absolutely funny, prank.

On our way to the nearby restaurant they start asking us questions about how the prank idea began, and why. In my slightly stuttering Korean, I tell them how gamdog-nim and the writers asked all of us to come to the brainstorming while the members were on break. I raised the idea, thinking it's been a while since the last hidden camera episode, and they all agreed. Then they left it all up to me, Mina, and Jenny to come up with a good scare.

"Aishhh, next time can you give us a bit of a heads up? My throat is sore today, it's a good thing I didn't scream." Jinyoung pleads quietly, closing his eyes momentarily in annoyance.

"We were worried about that actually so we asked manager-nim to go easy on you," I answer.

"Did you ask hyung to go easy on me too? Or was he just really tired?" Yugyeom asks.

"He was already tired by the time you came in," It's Mina's turn to answer.

"Ah, I thought you were going easy on me because I've had the most hidden cameras here," He explains, making all of us laugh. I never thought this maknae would be so charming up close.

The crew and members are starting to throw more questions at us as we eat. Apparently, many people in the crew line envy us because we get to stay in the office and lead normal lives in as much as our schedules would allow. The members, however, are more concerned about the amount of footage we cut from the actual videos and the extent of our knowledge on GOT7's inner workings. I can't say much because I don't want to surprise them with details, while Mina seems too busy watching JB eat.

"Noona," BamBam speaks up, cocking his head to the side. "Why is everyone calling you Sarang-ssi?" 

Some of the crew members explain that they only learned my name from the gamdog-nim so they really thought my name was Sarang. I immediately explain the whole nickname debacle with PD-nim Park Jinyoung. Everyone doubles over upon hearing my story.

"Yah, that's so funny!" says Jenny after calming down from her laughing fit. "But can we ask, why is your name Love? Did your ommeoni tell you all about it?"

"It's from a Bible passage," I explain, wiping the side of my lip with a napkin. I clear my throat and start reciting the English Bible passage my mother painted on our living room wall.  _Three things will last forever: Faith, Hope, and Love. But the greatest of these is Love._

"Instead of going on a honeymoon, the first thing they did as a couple was build a house and they called the house Faith. When my brother was born they named him Hope." All eyes are on me as I weave English into my Korean vocabulary to fully explain the story. Even Mina seems to be listening intently. "A year later, I was born and they named me Love. I'm the youngest in my family." Jenny then explains to everyone that though I look very young for my age, I'm already 25 years old and have finished college with a full athletic scholarship and a degree in visual arts.

There's a collective sound of awe around the table. I can't help but blush and stare at my plate for a moment. I look up to find Mark staring at me with a smile. My eyes move from him to Jackson to BamBam, and they all have this surprised and amazed look on their faces upon hearing what Jenny has to say about me.

"Ah, noona," says Youngjae, his curious puppy eyes making me smile slightly. "You speak English very well and you seem to have an accent, where are you from?" I answer him about my ancestry and quickly add that my Korean pronunciations may sound weird because of it.

"Some people think it's cute, though!" says a low, rough voice in perfect English. My eyes stray from Youngjae to Jackson who's busy turning the meat on the grill. "I have the same problem when I started hosting, I mispronounce a lot of Korean words and I stutter during broadcast but people laugh and they seem to like it." We all nod in agreement. I have seen Jackson host various variety shows, both in Korea and China. His apparent communication and people skills are just some of the reasons why I like him.

"Ah, but that's because of your charms," JB answers, to which we all agree. Jackson cutely hits him on the arm making all of us laugh.

Kako!

"Huh, what is that?" Mina says, looking around.

"Oh, it's my phone. Mian," I say, surprised that someone is chatting me at this hour. I check the message on my phone and my eyes grow wide as soon as I see the name of the sender. 

 **Mark:** Your name really does suit you... *smile emoji*


	10. House Party Caller

"Yoboseo?" I groggily answer my phone without taking off my eye mask. I don't even care who the caller is, I just want to go back to sleep. It's 9AM on a Sunday. I really don't understand why anyone would call me at this hour.

"Good morning! Are you busy today?" The caller says, thick American accent slightly waking my senses.

"Hmmm... What?" I moan, turning in my bed. "Who is this?"

"Is she seriously still sleeping?!" Says another voice in the background. I can hear scratches, like someone's grabbing the phone from the caller. I finally decide to take off my mask and check the ID. Mark Tuan.

"Hello?" He says.  _Wait that's not Mark's voice._

"Hello? Mark?"

"No, it's Jackson. Are you awake now?" Scruffy voice tickling my ear.

"Not really."

"We're on the way to your place right now,"

"M-mwo? Wae?!" I gasp, bolting upright in the most unglamorous way. Since the last Real GOT7 shoot, Mina and I have gotten closer to the crew and the boys, so much so that we were asked to come to all the remaining shoots. Mark and I have been messaging each other a lot—practically every day whenever he's not busy. The three guys have visited me at home at least twice this month already and it's only the middle of November. I really shouldn't be surprised that they've decided to come over today, but this early and even in this cold weather? Really?!

"Because we're bored and we don't know where to go today," Jackson tells me, the English lilt in his voice is making him sound like the world's biggest brat.

"UGH. Fine, who's with you?" I ask, finally getting out of bed to change into something decent. 

"It's a surprise!" Jackson answers as I struggle to strip off my pajamas.

"Oh my god, can you please just tell me?!" I toss my clothes to the hamper in the corner of the room and hurriedly open the drawers of my white distressed dresser.

"I'll give you a hint. Hyung, say hello," Jackson's voice is growing fainter.

"Eh? Uh, Hellooo—" Another voice pipes in.  _Shit._  That's definitely JB.  _I hope Mina's not busy today._

"Do you know who that is?" Jackson again.

"I think I do," I answer while taking out a pair of denim cutoffs and an oversized pink knit sweater from my closet. "Isn't that JB?"

"Ugh, you're no fun. We brought you breakfast so don't bother cooking, okay? See you in like... 30 minutes." The information makes me panic as I stand in my bathroom. I mutter a quick goodbye before running downstairs in my underwear to get the coffee started, and then running back upstairs to take a shower.

The doorbell rings exactly 30 minutes after the call which doesn't really shock me knowing how much Jackson hates being late. I glance at the mirror by the door. My hair is still wet but at least I managed to slap on toner, essence, eye cream, moisturizer, and a tiny bit of tint on my cheeks and lips. I look at the screen of the intercom and true enough GOT7's leader is standing with the foreign members on my doorstep.

"Hey!" I say, opening the door for everyone with a smile. As usual, Mark's the first to come in, giving me a big hug after taking off his shoes. He then sticks his nose up in the air to take a sniff.

"Oh my goodness, coffee! Yes!" He saunters to the kitchen without looking back.

Jackson comes in after him carrying a huge paperbag. "Oh, you smell good! Good job for someone who just woke up!" He winks at me after a quick hug.

"Noona, I hope we didn't catch you at a bad time," JB says politely before giving me an uneasy half-hug. I feel my cheeks heat up a bit at the unusual close contact because JB and I have never been this close to each other. We've had brief conversations during shoots though, which makes it easy to talk to him at this point.

"Ani, ani, you're always welcome here!" I answer, smiling warmly at him. His smile is so nice, I wish I could frame it and give it to Mina.

BamBam closes the door and stands beside JB, his off duty model look distracting me momentarily. "Awww, you look so pretty today!" He comments, hugging me tight. I tell him he looks prettier in his black sweater, black skinny jeans, pink jacket and pink socks. I offer to hang their coats for them, and tell them to make themselves at home—something I really don't have to say anymore but which JB seems to appreciate.

The dining table is all set by the time I get to the kitchen. There's a stack of pancakes on my plate along with some eggs benedict, and bacon. Mark took the liberty of pouring coffee for me and BamBam. JB and Jackson have somehow produced green tea. We all eat in peace, a few chit chats peppering our breakfast table.

Me gustas tu, me gustas tu!

"That's your ring tone?" Jackson asks, clearly surprised when a call came in.

"What?! I like GFriend," I respond before picking my phone up. "Yoboseo?" I see BamBam smiling again the moment I transform into my Korean alter-ego. He seems to find it too cute to handle.

"Omo omo omo omo omo, are they really there? Is JB there?" Kang Mina is ecstatic as heck.

"Ne, we're having breakfast right now. You're coming over, right?" Everyone around me seems interested to know who the other guest is. I put my phone down as soon as I wrap things up with Mina, who's reportedly dashing to the bathroom as we speak.

"Hey, give me your phone," Jackson orders. I hand it to him, curious as to what he's planning to do.

"Is that Mina-ssi?" JB asks, momentarily taking my focus away from Jackson. I nod and tell him she's coming over too since she's not busy today. I yabber more about her, how she likes really spicy ramyeon, and how she compliments my outfit every day.

"That's why I always try to dress nicely. I want to know what she thinks because she's really good at making observations, especially when it comes to style and fashion." I explain to JB, subtly hinting at how daebak my friend is. It's great to know that he's interested in her too, enough to listen to me talk about her quirks.

"Okay, done!" Jackson announces in English, giving me my phone back. "Now I'm calling you!" He then adds in Korean.  _I swear this table talk is messing with my bilingual brain._  My phone starts to light up and we all hear cute holiday tones coming out of it followed by Jackson's low rapping. I look at the caller ID only to find that he not only changed my ringtone, he also took a selfie of him doing a finger heart and then made it his contact photo.

"This is so cute!" I squeal, slightly blushing. I wasn't a fan of GOT7 before joining JYPE and I sure as heck don't have a bias list but that's hard to maintain when you get to see what kind of people they are off cam. "Thank you, this is pretty spiffy," I tell Jackson, my warm smile spreading like melted butter across my face. I really mean it. I like GFriend a lot but it's adorable that Jackson personally made it a mission to remind me that they're my actual friends.  _He's totally staying on my bias list._

"Ah pali, pali, I need to take your caller ID photos too!" I stand to take Mark and BamBam's photos. "Oh, JB-ssi, I don't have your number yet." I hand him my phone nervously. He mulls for a second, making me regret asking him in the first place.  _What the heck was I thinking anyway?!_  The rest of the boys are eyeing us curiously while eating. JB then smiles at me, takes my phone, and types his number in. He even takes a selfie and saves it in his own contact profile named "Jaebum Im". He typed his name in Romanized form. I am instantly impressed by his eye for detail because he seems to understand the way with which I organize my phone. Even my brother is listed in my address book as Hope Kangjeon. The only people who are listed differently are my parents (because if something were to happen to me, the first two things people would search on my phone are 'Mom' and 'Dad').

"Ah, it's so weird seeing JB hyung taking a selca," BamBam comments. We can't help but laugh at JB's bashful smile.

"So what do you guys want to do today?" I ask.

"Chill?" Says Mark.

"We could go shopping?" BamBam suggests, eyes egging me to say yes.

"Ani, let's not go out today. It's too cold. I think it's better to stay indoors." We all look at JB, me most especially. He's not smiling anymore, but he's gazing at me with a resolute look on his face. Somehow, I get the feeling that he wants to talk to me about something important, which is why he came and why he wants to stay.

"Ah, maja!" My answer makes the other three members turn with surprised looks on their faces. "Why don't you guys just watch a movie or play games, and I'll cook fried chicken for you!" They seem to like the idea.

As we start to clean up, Mark and Jackson volunteers to tour JB around my apartment. They promise not to touch anything in my closet this time. BamBam stays behind to help me wash the dishes. "I didn't know you were such a neat freak," I say, watching BamBam scrub each plate twice.

"I just got used to it," He reminds me that his family owns a restaurant chain in Thailand so he's very much used to cleaning up well. "You're the neat freak one, your apartment smells so nice all the time." 

I scoff before showing him one of the tiny bottles filled with vanilla scented incense sticks sitting on the window sill. "It's because I have these around the house near the windows and the vents. My mom taught me that." I put the bottle back to its original place. "When I come home from work, the scent reminds me of home and it feels really good." 

I tell him more about my first year in Korea; How I didn't have a job, how I couldn't speak the language despite the fact that I'm a full-Korean, and how the only piece of furniture in my apartment then was my bed. The extent with which I allowed my mom to help me when I first moved to South Korea was limited to finding a place to stay and opening a bank account. I refused when she begged to buy furniture for me because I told her I'd like to do it on my own, and with my own money. It was pride, I believe, that pushed me to work hard for myself.

"I feel the same way whenever my mom sends me pictures of our new house," BamBam replies. He proceeds to show me photos of the two-storey house he bought for his family in Bangkok and I marvel at the grandness of everything he's showing me, until we hear heavy footsteps upstairs and booming laughter. 

"Yah, what are you doing?!" I scream, leaving BamBam with the dishes to run upstairs in panic.  _Please not my underwear again. PLEASE._


	11. I Got You

I find Jackson sprawled on my carpeted bedroom floor, and JB sitting on the edge of my bed holding my pillow. Mark is happily bouncing on top of the mattress with another pillow. "What the heck?"

"Oh-Jeosonghamnida!" JB apologizes with a wide smile. "We're having way too much fun on your bed, it's very soft!" He pats the white sheet he's sitting on and Jackson gets up from the floor to sit beside JB like an obedient pup.

"Your pillow smells so good!" Mark exclaims as he drops to his knees, bouncing a little while hugging my pillow tight. I don't think I'll be able to sleep well tonight thinking that Mark may have hugged the very pillow I drool onto. Before I get the chance to scold or warn them, we hear the doorbell ringing.

I rush down the stairs to see BamBam opening the door for Mina, who I can barely see behind the huge box she's carrying. She's obviously surprised to see GOT7's fan service king opening the door for her. "Oh, annyeong, annyeong!" Mina says, greeting BamBam who welcomed her warmly with a bow.

"Noona, let me help you with that!" BamBam takes the box from her, allowing me to see her barely made up face. She looks younger, and frankly a lot prettier without the pretense of winged liner and matte lips. 

"Mina-yah," I say, giving her a hug before she can even take her shoes off. "What did you bring? I told you not to bother with food, we have a lot!" She steps into the living room awkwardly with me pulling on her arm. BamBam is peeking inside the box, his thin arms holding it steady.

"Oh, that's not food. I'll explain later. What are they doing?" Mina asks, curiously looking upwards because of the booming laughter emanating from my bedroom.

"Having a pillow fight," I say, rolling my eyes. BamBam snickers upon hearing news of his hyungs playing upstairs. I lead them both to my bedroom and we catch Mark trying to fix my bedside lamp with with a guilty grin on his face.

"I didn't break it!" He says, trying to hold the head of the lamp upright.

"Yeah, it just got a little lopsided," Jackson reasons, holding a pillow. Mark lets go of the head and it falls a little to the side like a curious puppy. "See, it's cuter this way!" He adds. JB throws his head back in laughter.

"Don't worry about it," I say, giving in. Mina shyly comes in and greets the rest of the boys while BamBam sets the box on top of the bed, announcing as he does that it contains fan gifts. "Those are all fan gifts?!" I ask Mina, my eyes huge with surprise. She nods quietly, obviously unsure about her decision.

"Ne, I've been collecting all these gifts for over six months now. Fans gave it to me on my way home, some of them were from my friends who are your fans too," She explains, her eyes focused on her feet while we all look at her with mouths hanging open. "Sorry if I'm giving all these to you just now, I never had the courage to send them to your dorm or give them to your manager because we're not supposed to receive gifts on your behalf..." She pauses her long speech and suddenly does a 90 degree bow. "Jeosonghamnida..." 

"Oh, geurae?! [Is that so?!] I've done it too, I didn't know it wasn't allowed!"  I give JB a panicked look knowing that they must have received the gifts I handed to the boys the first time they came here. "M-Mianhe..." [Sorry...] I didn't even get the chance to bow because Jackson's already shaking his head at me as he drapes his arm around my shoulders with a smile.

Mina is still in her bowing position and I almost pull her up if not for JB who takes the box and settles down on the floor in front of her. JB peeps through the curtain of semi-curly black hair hiding her face and I can see her ears reddening . "Gwaenchanayo, noona. [It's okay, noona.] We're really grateful for these." She stands up at his bidding and I smile as he takes her hand and asks her to sit on the floor with him. Jackson pulls at my wrist and orders me to sit beside him as well. Mark and BamBam take their places on the floor and we all end up in a semi-circle on the gray carpet, rummaging through Mina's box.

We watch as the boys excitedly open their packages, ripping the wrappers and happily complimenting each and every gift they open. "Oh my god, this is so cool," Mark says, holding up a framed caricature of him. It's amazing how much talent and effort these fans put into their idol gifts. After a few minutes of cheering and laughing along, I decide to give Mina some alone time with the boys. "Aigoo, look at the time! I'll go and make us chicken wings and rice for lunch. Any other food requests? I'll order if I can't make it." I say, standing up and rolling my sleeves expertly.

"Noona, let me help you cook!" JB pipes in, standing up and surprising the other members. It's not a secret that Jaebum can do anything BUT cook.

"Hyung, I'll do it," BamBam offers.

"Ani, gwaenchana. [No, it's okay.] You already washed the plates. I'll go help noona now," JB stands beside me with his standard boyish smile and I turn to Mina, giving her a small shrug to answer the questioning look she's throwing at me. He's either really passionate about chicken, or he's planning something and wants to let me in on it. Whatever it is, I'm feeling slightly excited to hear what he has to say.

I toss a girly pink apron at Jaebum, making him blush slightly. "Oh, kyeopta Jaebum-ah!" [Oh, you're cute, JB!] I tease as he wraps the apron around his waist. "You look ready. Do you know how to cook chicken?"

"A-aniyo..." He admits while watching me take out a ziplock bag filled with chicken wings from the freezer. "But I'd love to learn if you'll teach me!" He immediately adds.

"It's not that hard," I say, popping the bowl of chicken wings into the microwave for defrosting. JB stands beside me on the kitchen counter, listening intently to my instructions on how to properly bread a chicken part using cornstarch, salt, and pepper. "A lot of people use flour but I was taught that fried chicken is crispier when you use cornstarch,"

"Ah, jjinjja?" 

"Ne," I say, taking the chicken out of the microwave. I take a piece of tender chicken and show him how to bread it so he can do the rest. "JB-ah..." He looks up to me with a curious smile, his hands covered in cornstarch. I smile back at him before busying myself with the frying pan. "I know you're looking forward to talk to me about something. May I know what it's about?" I suddenly feel like being bit more formal while talking to him in Korean and he seems to take notice because he starts looking around before turning to me again.

"Noona, to be honest, I came today because I wanted to know why my friends keep coming here..." JB's face is stony and almost scary. His jaw is jutting out just a little, signaling a fresh wave of anxiety as he carefully breads the chicken. "And I want to talk to you about them returning late at night." 

I can feel my face flushing as he hands me a plate of breaded chicken wings so I turn my attention to the hot pan instead. Things have always been spontaneous during the past visits as far as I remember. The day after our Halloween special shoot, they came over to bring me ice cream and our working relationships somehow slipped into the conversation. We all agreed to keep being civil to each other at work while drinking beers. The one after that was much more chaotic. They called while I was shopping for groceries and I had to hurry back home because some girls recognized them while they're waiting for me at the lobby.

"Well," I start, thinking of a way to explain myself without sounding defensive. "First of all, you have to know how I met Jackson, Mark, and BamBam." I tell him all about the accidental awkward introduction with Mark and Coco, the night at the bar, the gifts I received from their fans, and our first popcorn meeting after that. "You called that night, remember? You were on loudspeaker. I got so scared because you sounded mad!" JB smirks before handing me another batch of chicken to fry.

"Actually, I was scared too," He says, catching me off guard. "I didn't know who you are, and if you are trustworthy. That's why I asked them to come home immediately." We both fall silent while I'm taking out the first batch of chicken from the frying pan.

"Noona, I hope I don't offend you by saying this but we've been through a lot just to get here so it's important for me to know if we can trust you or not." I can feel JB's eyes piercing my gut as I continue to cook and listen. I start thinking of ways to defend myself, to prove that I have no ill intentions, but then decide to abandon that route all together.

"Well then what do you think so far?" I ask, handing him the plate of fried chicken and urging him to try one. He takes a piece gratefully, thinking, considering. "I mean," A few English words slip through the cracks of our conversation, a reminder of our differences. I know he understands anyway. "What's your impression of me based on what you've seen so far?"

"I think your apartment speaks well for you. Jackson says you designed this yourself?" He asks and I nod. "It looks great! I've always wanted a place like this. It's like everywhere I look I can see bits and pieces of your personality. You and Jinyoung like the same kind of books,"

"Oh, jjinja?" 

He nods, licking his lips before speaking again. I try to focus on the chicken I'm frying because his oil-glossed lips are making me squirm inside. "Mark loves your bedroom, BamBam loves your closet, Jackson loves your kitchen and I think Yugyeom would too, if he was here. Youngjae would love your vinyl collection." He finishes his chicken and washes his hands while I stand there, shocked at JB's observations. I didn't even show them my vinyl collection and player but they seem to have found it just the same. "I like your fried chicken," He adds, giving me a wide smile.

"Aigoo, gomawo..." I take out the second batch of chicken before frying the rest. "I feel like this place is slowly becoming a GOT7 tree house!" We both laugh, eyes scanning the view outside my kitchen's window. Seoul's bustling cityscape sprawling before us. I hand the plate full of chicken to JB and he takes it from me with a smile. Then we both share a long, hard look at each other. He's right. I DO need to provide them some sense of security because he's been in the business long enough to know what it means to have real friends. "I understand if you won't trust me immediately," I tell him, transitioning to English just because I think it sounds way more earnest. "Trust is earned, not given." 

I turn back to the stove to start cooking the sauce. Mark and BamBam like hot, spicy food so I'm making them a special batch of buffalo chicken wings. For the cheese-obsessed Jackson, I'm making a garlic parmesan batch. "You guys need a space to be free from all the cameras and the fans and the industry standards and the competition. I know that because I work on the things you work on." I add, my voice steady and calm.  Secretly, I am hoping that my Korean won't fail me as I toss the fried chicken in the pan to cover them in sauce. "Whether you should trust me or not is completely up to you, but know that my door is always open to anyone of you who needs a break." I finish. JB seems to be thinking deeply while watching me.

"Noona..." 

"Just call me Love or Sarang, whichever you're more comfortable with," I answer. He nods at me and gives me the warmest smile I've ever seen from him.

"Okay," he says, surprising me with his one-word English. "Sarang-ah, gomapta..." I stop what I'm doing to face him, curious as to what he has to say in response to my lengthy sermon. "I appreciate you for being really kind and for taking care of my members." The serene look on his face is a bit debilitating, but I manage to crack a smile and nod. "Nalang chinguhallae?" [Will you be my friend?]

I hold my hand out to him. He gives me a wide smile, his eyes disappearing into adorable tiny slits as he shakes my hand vigorously. I feel like I have accomplished something huge by gaining the trust of GOT7's leader.

"Hey, Love!" Mark calls out, running down the stairs. He sees JB and I, still hand in hand, smiling at each other.

"What's up?" I ask, glad to be speaking in English again. He approaches us with a medium sized pink box in his other hand. "What's in there?"

"We've got something that's perfect for your fridge." He opens the box and shows me the magnetized mini webtoon versions of GOT7. Mark holds up a mini webtoon version of himself and poses exactly like it.

"Oh my god, you look so adorable!" I say, laughing. He sticks it on my fridge door, grinning from ear to ear while JB peers into the box to get his own webtoon character.

"You'll always remember us now when you're hungry or eating alone." Mark says before sticking the rest of mini GOT7 alongside his webtoon. JB carefully places his webtoon magnet at the end of the line. I look at the seven little figures on the fridge door and know that I'm probably never going to be sad and hungry at the same time ever again. 


	12. Where Is Love? (M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Some raunchy references from none other than double B (let's be real he's far from pure LMAO).

"Why the heck are you awake? Aren't you guys tired from the MBC stage last night?!" I ask BamBam, who called early in the morning to my surprise. It's 7AM and I am running on a treadmill, trying to get in shape on the first day of 2016.

"We are, but we haven't seen you for so long so we wanted to do a New Year's Day party at your place tonight!" He says. I can tell that last night's year-ender performance and afterparty roughened his voice. GOT7 had a pretty hectic December so we never got to hang out again after their house visit. The last time I got to see them was when Mina and I watched their KBS Gayo Daechukjae stage performance, and even then we were sitting in the audience, far away from them.

"Okay, well... Who else is coming along then?" I answer as I frantically push the buttons of the treadmill to change my pace. I'm compelled to stop working out and start preparing because when BamBam says "party" he means it.

"We're still asking around but I think Amber wants to go," I continue to slow down on the treadmill while BamBam rambles on and on about a growing guest list that might not even fit my apartment.

"Oh my god, wait, wait hold on." I press another button and the machine stops completely. "I don't think I can fit all of you," I stammer, panting heavily as I step off the treadmill.

"Woah, wait what are you—" 

"Oh shit—" I blurt out. My leg is starting to cramp. "Oww, fuck!" I sit on the floor of the gym, moaning in pain. A male instructor comes up to me to ask if I'm okay and I nod, waving him off.

"Wait, are you with someone? Should I hang up?!" BamBam asks, suddenly alert.

"What?! What are you talking about? I am not with anybody, I just got off the treadmill and my leg is cramping."

"Oooohhh, okay," He says, chuckling over my predicament. "Well then stop breathing in my ear, you're giving me really dirty thoughts right now!" I can hear someone asking questions in the background—probably his roommate Jackson.

"How the heck am I supposed to do that?!" I ask, laughing along as I flex my calf muscles. If BamBam could see me now he'd probably laugh harder because my cheeks are blushing at the thought of him getting turned on by my erratic breathing. 

"Wait, let's switch to FaceTime." He ends the phone call without even waiting for my response and follows it up with a video call. I answer despite my sweaty, no-makeup exterior and BamBam comes up on the screen, still in bed, his mop of brown hair a mess.

"Are you happy now? I told you I'm not with anybody," I try to breathe normally. 

"Oh you really are working out!" BamBam smiles and waves at me through the screen.

"Why, what did you think I was doing?" I ask, stretching my leg gently and hoping the pain subsides.

"I thought you were having sex with someone! You were moaning in my ear!"

"Oh my god, isn't it too early for that?!" I hear Jackson's voice and crack up instantly. Bam finally gets up and pulls Jackson beside him. "Annyeong! Oh, that's a... Uhh... Really sexy look on you..." He adds.

"What? No, I'm a mess!" I shoot back, mopping the sweat off my face and body with a terry cloth towel. My bangs are sticking to my forehead and my bun is coming undone. Slowly, I start getting up again, testing my leg.

"Yes you are, you're a hot mess," Jackson says. I respond by vigorously shaking my head before picking up my water bottle from the floor.

"Noona, I have a request," BamBam says, clearing his scratchy throat. I raise one eyebrow at him as I walk towards the gym's floor-to-ceiling mirrors near the shower rooms. "Can you please let your hair down?" He asks, his eyes focusing on me. I follow his command wordlessly, pulling the tie securing my bun. My light brown hair falls down to my chest in waves, covering the skin of my shoulder exposed by my lopsided zipped-up hoodie. I decide to fix it by opening the jacket all the way, revealing my pink sports bra and my bare abs. I've gotten very little progress at getting back to my old shape. My abs are not as toned as it was back in college — back when my life revolved around studying, swimming, and working part-time. I guess this is just what a 9-hour workday does to you.

"Now switch to the back camera!" BamBam orders. I tap the icon on the screen. "Jackson look at my makeover!" I see Jackson gaping like a fish out of water upon seeing my full image on the mirror.

"Oh my god! See, that's what I mean by sexy. Are those abs? You have abs?!" Jackson comments, his eyes wide. There's chaos from the other end of the line because Jackson wants to see me more but BamBam wants to get a screenshot. Meanwhile, I'm busy laughing at them, realizing belatedly that I have never told them I used to be an athlete.

"Okay, stop, I really need to go and take a shower now." I ask BamBam to text me the final head count before hanging up.

***Flashback***

For the first time in over two years, I've decided to spend the holidays in Korea. My mom wasn't too thrilled about it, but my dad was over the moon at the thought of me cooking kimchi jjigae with my grandmother in her massive kitchen.

And so, after helping out at GOT7's charity event, I found myself boarding a train going straight to Busan and spending Christmas eve with my Nana Kyung and my cousins in Suyeong-gu. At dinner they kept asking me if my hair and my eyes really were naturally light brown, all while exclaiming "Yeppeuneye!" [So pretty!] over and over. 

I answered each of them with a polite nod and a thank you.

It sent my female cousins—who I never spoke with for years because I didn't understand Korean back then—into a temporary state of shock. I didn't know whether they balked because of my Seoul dialect, or because of my bold acceptance towards their adorable satoori compliments. Nana Kyung just laughed it off and kept petting my head like a puppy while the servants milled around with unending supply of food. 

Nana Kyung loves to cook and though she's old (she's nearing her 87th birthday), her kitchen work is so graceful that I almost failed to remember her jjigae-making lessons because I was watching her with great fascination. I sent my dad a selfie of me and Nana which Hope said made my dad cry a little.

The next morning, Jihoo, who my Nana Kyung introduced as my second cousin, took me to Gwanggalli Beach so I can walk around and grab breakfast before heading back to Seoul. Thankfully, he speaks English because he's taking up literature in Kyungsung University. "So, what are you going to do when you get back to Seoul?" He asked, his pronunciation clear and crisp.

"I actually have no idea," I said, munching on my toast. "I guess I have two and a half hours of commute to think about that."

"Oh, you should go ice skating or watch KBS Music Bank live! I'd love to see the special stages." 

"I've seen KBS Gayo, I think I've had enough." I answered nonchalantly.

It turns out that Jihoo is a huge SM Entertainment fan so when he found out I work at JYPE, and that I've met Amber, he freaked out. "Amber is like, my ultimate bias. I wanted to learn English because of her!"

"Oh she's very nice, and very pretty! I'll show you a picture but you have to promise not to tell anybody about it, okay?" He nodded enthusiastically. I showed him the group photo I took the first time we met and told him everything that happened that night in Gangnam. He was slack-jawed, and I was overjoyed because I finally found someone to talk to about it other than Mina and Liv.

"So are you and BamBam dating now?" He asked when he saw the numerous selfies I have with GOT7's maknae.

"Oh my god, no! Absolutely not." I almost choked on my toast.

"Why do you have so many pictures together then?" 

"Because he likes taking selfies! He's too young for me, Jihoo. I'll never date someone that young."

"I would date Amber, though!" He answered, addressing the fact that he's only as old as BamBam and Yugyeom. He then made me promise to ask Amber if she's willing to date a younger guy.

Our breakfast turned into lunch and by the time we parted at the train station, we've managed to get each other's numbers and follow each other on SNS so we could talk some more. I have never been so thankful for the gift of family in my life.

I spent Christmas night dressing up in my fanciest white fur coat and white designer dress just to end up eating alone at Hyatt and ice skating along with the families and couples on the frozen lake outside the hotel. Not once did I feel lonely in Seoul that night. Everything felt so serene, and the snow made it all the more special. For the first time in a very long time I felt genuinely peaceful. I remembered why I fell in love with the city in the first place. The wind against my face. The people. The streets. That night I couldn't help but think of grassroots running deeper, of water reaching deep down into the soil of my being.  

***Flashforward***

My kitchen is looking more and more like a buffet counter of all the comfort food I can think of. I made mac and cheese from scratch, as well as nachos, and grilled cheese sandwiches. I have BamBam's beloved buffalo chicken wings, and Jackson's favorite garlic parmesan chicken wings. Mark's pepperoni pizza came just in time and my popcorn maker is ready to go.

I have soju, wine, and beer in my fridge, and red plastic cups stacked conveniently by the sink beside a cooler filled with ice. The dining table is set for six people, though I'm not exactly sure who else is coming. My living room is looking bright because of the fairy lights on the Christmas tree standing in the corner of the room, right beside the brand new gold and rose quartz curtains I've put up. There are metallic gold balloons that spell Happy New Year on the railings of the metal staircase. I Skype my mom to show her my party prep work. "Wow honey, you've done a great job! How many people are coming to your party?"

"Well I'm not really sure. I think my friends invited, like, 5 or 6 people—"

"That's ridiculous, that is NOT a party!" My brother Hope interrupts, peeking over mom's shoulder. "Come home so I can show you what a real party's like. I have friends from Perth who are single as fuck and are dying to meet you!"

"Hope, will you get your filthy mouth away from here please?" My mom orders and he grumbles away. "Now, Lovey, remember to make sure your guests get to eat before drinking. Absolutely no drugs please," I roll my eyes at my mom but before I could protest about her plea to her introverted daughter, I get a calendar reminder from her.

"That's so you don't forget your dad's business trip in Daegu. He'll fly in directly from Hong Kong so make sure you pick him up at the airport, araso?" I can't help but admire her planning skills. It's what makes her one of the most efficient businesswomen I know.

"Arasoyo! Saranghae, Omma!" I wave at her with a wide smile before ending the call. 

At 8:30PM the doorbell starts to ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer and closer to the real raunchy chapters. Again, this fic is posted (and completed) on AFF, and FF.net. I've been proofreading and posting here so there might be tiny changes here and there.


	13. The New Year's Day Party (M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Lots of alcohol and a dash of cussing in the Love Kangjeon fort. Lots of drunk idols, a suggestive AF BamBam, and a touchy-feely Mark and Henry. I would also like to go ahead and say that there will be steamy chapters ahead. You have been warned.

Jackson is the first person to enter my apartment, as usual, and his bright energy is so contagious that all my anxieties vanish. "Oh my god, you're so cute!" He says shaking both closed fists in the air and then asking me to turn around for him. I do a quick spin in my light blue baby doll dress and pink ballet flats. He squeals in delight then hugs me super tight, my cheeks brushing against his fuzzy sweater.

"Stop it, we're waiting here!" BamBam pushes Jackson away and spreads his arms wide for me. "Happy New Year, noona!"

"Happy New Year, Bammie!" I say, going in for the hug. Behind him, Amber peeps with a wide smile and a box of cake in hand, making me gasp. "Amber! Hi, welcome!" I give her a hug too and lead her and BamBam inside, telling them to feel right at home. _Jihoo's definitely going to flip out._ JB pokes a finger to my side and I turn to give him a hug, this time warmer and less awkward than the one we've shared before. The thing about JB is that it takes a lot of time for him to feel at ease with someone, but in the months we've worked together and the moments we have shared in my house, I guess it's safe to say we're close enough for us to merit a holiday hug.

"I brought them with me, I hope you don't mind," JB mutters bashfully in Korean. He gestures to the people hiding behind him and to my surprise Mina and Jenny are there along with Jinyoung, Yugyeom, and Youngjae. I guess Mina's been chatting with JB too behind my back. 

"Noona, we brought you hot chocolate for after dinner," Jinyoung says, holding a bag with a silver thermos inside, his warm smile melting my heart. "Or for tomorrow morning's hangover," I laugh at his sweet gesture and tell him how cute he is for even bothering to bring me something. He brushes it off with an adorable pout.

"Please come in. Let's all have dinner." The guests start milling around my penthouse apartment, looking at decors, photos, and paintings. Amber and Youngjae are looking through my vinyl collection and observing the turntable in the living room. Jinyoung stands quietly in front of the shelves installed under the stairs, browsing through my English books. JB, BamBam, Yugyeom, and Jackson are congregated around the kitchen counter, fingers hovering over the appetizer spread.

"Hey," I say, standing beside Jackson as he tries to make popcorn the same way I always do. "Where's Mark?" Jackson responds with a sly smile.

"He's coming in later, he just went out for a few errands," JB answers, passing a look towards Jackson that somehow makes me feel more suspicious. I  shrug it off and help Jackson with the popcorn before moving to the dining table to add more dinnerware. I have no idea how the heck I'm supposed to fit nine people in my dining table for six.

Somehow, we manage to squeeze BamBam in between Amber and Jackson. Jenny and I take up the two ends of the table, sitting on ottomans. 

"Oh my god, this jjigae is so good where did you learn how to do this?" BamBam asks.

"My Nana Kyung taught me the recipe last Christmas" I say, my Australian accent slipping through. I tell them about my short holiday in Busan, my Nana Kyung, and all the funny reactions of my satoori-speaking relatives. There's laughter everywhere, and for a moment I forget that I'm so far away from home. That this isn't actually home. I look at the faces around me and my eyes don't see the difference between world-famous idols and the people working behind them. I see normal people, and I cannot get over the fact that we are all so much alike.

The doorbell rings as soon as we finish dinner. I get up, leaving the others to slice the cake Amber brought to the party. "Love, baby, annyeong!" An intoxicated Henry stumbles into my arms as I open the door and behind him stands an awkward Mark, arms loaded with paperbags. His gray hoodie hangs loosely on his body and his blonde hair is dusted with flakes of snow, making him sparkle the way princes do in manhwas and dramas. Somehow, I manage to escape that dreamy, split-second eye-to-eye encounter with Mark.

I lead both of them to the living room where the guests are starting to gather with little plates of cake. Henry plops on the sofa beside Jackson and wrestles him into a hug. "Wang, holy shit, man, I've missed you!" He screams, shaking Jackson like a doll. Jackson rolls his eyes at the older idol, obviously used to Henry's drunken bouts. Everyone's instantly captivated by the ruckus the two boys are making.

"Hey," Mark whispers in my ear. I feel his warmth on my back, instantly knocking out the air from my windpipes.

"Yeah?" I turn to him while everyone's busy laughing at Jackson and Henry. I find myself at eye level with his lips and chin and Adam's apple. I watch it bob up and down before looking up to meet his chocolate brown eyes.

"You look really..." He gazes at me and I distract myself by staring at the white shirt peeping out from under his hoodie. "You look pretty." He says quietly, almost whispering in my ear.

"You're the one who's looking really pretty," I try to mask my adoration with light laughter. _How can someone look like a prince in a pair of faded jeans and a hoodie?_ He giggles shyly, obviously surprised by my response. "Where have you been? JB said you had errands."

"I bought you a gift," He produces a huge bottle of red wine from one of the paperbags and hands it to me, making me gasp. "Actually, that's from all of us. But this one's from me," he takes a pink box out of the other paperbag and holds it up for me to see.

"Oh my god!" I say, laughing louder in disbelief while inspecting the outside of the box. There is only one place that produces that specific shade of pink-on-pink stripes and just the thought of him shopping in a place like that is enough to make me blush. He grins at my reddening cheeks, a naughty smile spreading across his face.

"It's lace so I'm sure you'll like it..."

"Mark, you really didn't have to get me anything," I mutter, shaking my head and brushing all the disturbing thoughts away. He suddenly looks concerned. "I mean, now I feel bad because I don't have anything to give you!"

"I'm fine with a hug," He informs me with a smile, spreading his arms wide. I giggle as I step closer with two full hands and burning cheeks. We settle into a comfortable hug, my arms semi-wrapped around his waist and his holding me tightly against his body. He smells like fresh laundry and lavender cologne. It reminds me of a baby. Of a world of comfort and softness and I just want to melt in his arms if I could. I haven't actually gotten the chance to REALLY smell Mark until now, even if we often greet each other with a hug. With BamBam and Jackson, and even JB, it's different. Their strong, manly perfumes often hit me the moment I get close.

"Thanks Mark," I say moving away from the hug for what feels like an eternity. "I'll just take this upstairs. You and Henry should go and grab some food in the kitchen." I leave the guests downstairs to hide in my closet for a minute.

 _Holy crap, what is this feeling?_ I will my blood flow and heart rate to normalize, fanning my hot face and breathing deeply. It's been a while since I have felt this way. I guess I was way too busy building the life I've always imagined in Seoul that I didn't have time to meet people or date around. My last relationship was a three years ago so I'm pretty much numb from singlehood. At least until now. I check the bottle of wine in my hand. There's a tiny note hanging from the lid with a gold twine, and on it a neat scribble:

_Thank you for a LOVE-ly year, noona!_

_Happy Holidays!_

_From, GOT7_

I tear the note off the lid and place it on my dresser before opening the bottle with the Swiss knife I always keep in my bag. _If I'm going back in there, I'm going to need some pre-game._ I take three swigs, chugging the wine unceremoniously and staining my nude-colored lips blood red.

When I reach the living room, BamBam is already pouring champagne for everyone and Jackson is busy placing bowls of popcorn on side tables and on the floor where most of the guests are settled on pastel-colored bean bags. Yugyeom is initiating a game of truth or dare using JB's empty beer bottle. I dart to the kitchen, which is already surprisingly clean apart from the counter filled of food. With the amount time they spend in my apartment, it's not surprising that the boys already know the ins and outs of my kitchen, along with the fact that I hate a messy house. We've also gotten so close that they treat my house like their own dorm, leaving pieces of garments and items around for me to find on cleaning weekends.

I take a glass flute from the cupboard and a box of cupcakes from the fridge before making my way back to the living room. I then find Henry sprawled on the sofa with his head on Amber's shoulder. She's slapping his face lightly to make him sober while Jackson continues to make fun of his drunk sunbae. I plop beside Henry and offer him a cupcake. "Oppa, you have to try these, they're really good."

"Eww, don't call him oppa!" BamBam says as he fills my empty flute with champagne.

"Why not? He's older than me," I answer, laughing as I watch Henry stuff his mouth with a moist chocolate cupcake.

"Love can call me oppa all she wants," Henry answers too, grinning slyly with cupcake icing on his face. I take a tissue from the box on the nearest side table to wipe the icing off Henry's face. "Aigoooo," He says, blinking hard. He holds my hand and gives me his best male gaze. "Thank you, you're such a sweetheart!" He kisses my knuckles with a loud smack and I laugh at the unexpected physical contact. In my head I'm wishing that Olivia is here to see my interaction with her favorite Super Junior member.

"Hey, hey, no kissing!" Jackson says, waving his finger at Henry. "She's ours, you can't flirt with her,"

"Yeah, off limits Henry! Off limits." Mark comments before drinking his beer. Jenny and Mina chides in to ask why I'm getting the special treatment when they're part of the JYP staff too. Jackson jokingly responds that I have basically become their special noona by letting them into my home whenever they're bored at the dorm.

"She feeds us all the time, she's like a mother bird when we're here," Mark continues.

"Ani, I thought I was the omma?" Jinyoung interjects and we all laugh.

Yugyeom, being the adorable maknae he is, starts a mini-tantrum then, telling us he really wants to play. We give in, forming a perfect circle around the empty beer bottle that I'm pretty sure Mina's been itching to get her hands on. Yugyeom's first spin points to BamBam and he chooses to start the game with a truth question. "Okay, answer this: Who would you kiss, marry, and kill in this circle?" Yugyeom asks.

BamBam looks around, obviously conflicted. He then points to Jinyoung and says, "I'd kill Jinyoung hyung first because he always makes me do the laundry," Jinyoung's eyes widen threateningly despite his laughter. "I'd marry Jackson, because he's rich and he takes care of me."

"I'm not mrich but yeah, we're like a married couple anyway," Jackson interferes, his smile all-knowing. "We sleep together, we eat together, and when we're out I always pay for him!" We all laugh. It's amazing how well this group is jiving together and it's only the beginning of the game.

"Who would you kiss then?" JB asks BamBam. The youngster looks at me with mischievous eyes.

"Ahhh, I'm not going to say it because I think she knows already," He says, making me retreat behind Henry's broad shoulder. Amber notices my reaction and laughs, stealing everyone's attention and subsequently taking the bait as BamBam's kiss choice despite her refusal.

"No, ewww! He's like my baby brother!" She protests.

It's BamBam's turn to spin the bottle and as luck would have it, the empty Heineken points to my direction. Amber laughs again, as if leering at me, and gives BamBam a high five. "Noona, Truth or Dare?" he asks, obviously amused.

"Dare," I say, not giving anyone the opportunity to question me further.

"For 5 minutes can we pretend that I'm your oppa?" Bambam replies with a sneaky smile. Everyone reacts in defiance. I feel like JB and Jinyoung are about to beat up Bammie's ass. Amber is laughing nonstop and Henry seems pretty adamant to be the only guy in the group that gets to be older than me.

"Araso," I say, raising my hands up to silence them. "It's fine, I'm doing it, but only for one minute." I drink the rest of my champagne straight up. If it is true that he's smitten by me, then I'm excited to see his reaction. "Oppa..." I say sweetly, looking at him from under my dramatically long eyelashes. He responds with a wide smile. "Joaheyo." [I like you.]

BamBam spasms on the floor animatedly and everyone explodes in a fit of laughter. The rowdiness heightens when Youngjae and Yugyeom decide to hit BamBam playfully as he lay helpless on the floor. Jackson picks him up and sits him on a bean bag like a doll. "Times up!" I say returning to the game.

The bottle stops in between Mark and Jinyoung who are busy laughing together until they realize that the bottle is in between them. "Oh oettoke?" [Oh, what to I do?] Jinyoung says, eyes wide but still smiling, his champagne flute already empty in one hand while the other rests on top of Mark's knee.

"I'll take it," Mark answers, grinning almost helplessly. My insides are starting to feel like the beer he keeps swirling in his bottle.

"Truth or Dare?" I ask, staring back at him. I seriously wish he'd say Truth because I've been dying to ask him if the rumors of him having a tattoo is true—and yes I've been dying to see it for myself too.

"Dare."

_Fucking hell._


	14. Rewind (M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: More booze, some suggestive things in the mix, cussing, and mild action... Because seven minutes in heaven wouldn't be complete without a bit of action, AMIRITE?

"Love—Uh, noona!" BamBam calls out to me as he gets off the stage before the encore. "Can I see the photo you took?" He's unusually formal, of course, because we are still at work.

"Ne," I answer, camera still at hand. He sidles to my side, face close to mine as he looks at the screen while I scan the previews. I can still feel my heart pounding in my chest after the unwanted exposure. When GOT7 announced they wanted a photo with fans, the stage director pushed me towards the stage at the last minute since I'm the only one around holding a camera. It wasn't because I was covering the event, my work goes as far as making sure I get the footage immediately for editing. But I wanted to make sure I get photos for Mina, who is sick and isn't able to come to the event.

"Oh, that's nice! Send me a copy of this, okay?" BamBam says switching to English, which means he's getting comfortable again. I smile and nod politely at him, breaking eye contact before I start laughing at the way we're acting around each other.

"BamBam!" A voice calls out. We both look up to see Mark in the distance, taking his earpiece off. "Gaja!" [Let's go!] The rest of the members are running towards the dressing room, taking their sweaters and earphones off as they go.

"Ah, encore time. See you later, okay?" BamBam says. He then winks at me and makes a mad dash towards Mark. My eyes meet Mark's gaze and for a split second I feel time stop. He smiles at me and breaks into a run.

*******

"Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

_Fucking hell._

I was clueless. I looked around and they were all staring at me with amused smiles. I let out an agitated sigh. "I got nothing." A sprinkle of laughter in the room. I couldn't help but smile despite the awkward situation.

"Excuse me, can I suggest something?" Jackson said, raising his hand with a look of feigned innocence on his face. We all look at him as he exchanged devious glances with JB. _What the heck is up with these guys?_

"Yeah, go ahead then," I gestured his my hand, curious eyes fleeting between him and Jaebum.

"Seven minutes in heaven!" Jackson blurted, his hand still raised in the air.

"Ah, geureom!" [Ah, of course!] At JB's bidding, Jackson stood up and took both of my hands. He playfully pulled me upwards and dragged me upstairs into my dressing room. Behind me, Jaebum has effortlessly pushed a giggling Mark into the room with me and has forcefully closed the barn door shut. I immediately ran to the door that connected my walk-in closet to the bathroom but Jackson sprinted ahead of me and blocked the door from the outside. His muscular form loomed behind the frosted glass.

"Jackson! Let us out!"

"No! Oh my god, why are you so strong?" He shouted when I tried to push the door open. Unlike the barn door that led to my bedroom, the bathroom door couldn't be locked from the outside so Jackson was definitely using his strong arms to keep it shut. "Mark, You have seven minutes!"

"Hey, stop, you're gonna break the door," Mark said, stepping behind me. He pried my tight grip from the old brass knob with his right hand. I felt his left hand slide to my waist, pulling me close to him and then leading me to the center of the room. "There's no use fighting them."

I sighed and pouted before plopping onto the long mint ottoman that I have repainted to fit the room's theme. It was on sale at a weekend flea market in Myeongdong and was in such a bad state that the ahjumma couldn't believe I was willing to buy it from her. She gave me an old tin mug for free along with it because she felt so bad about selling me something so incredibly old. I told Mark about it while retouching my makeup with a brush I took from the tin mug. Everything around my apartment had been done with shabby chic in mind. I figured that if I styled my apartment this way, no one would notice that most of my furniture were DIY thrift store projects.

He nodded silently and fiddled with the hem of my pink silk bathrobe which was hanging by the dresser before taking notice of the opened bottle of wine. "Oh, you opened the wine already?"

"Yeah, I needed a pre-game," I said, without telling him the real reason why. He smirked at me and I felt my heartbeat slow down again.

"Can I have a taste?" He looked at me, bottle in hand, and I swear I almost felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. I told him to go ahead since it's their gift. He pressed the tip of the bottle to his pink lips and expertly drank the red liquid, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down in an enchanting rhythm. I tried not to stare.

"Wow, this is good! I didn't know Jinyoung had such great taste in wine," He said, checking the label. I suddenly felt so parched.

"Jinyoung chose that?"

"Yeah, I asked them what to give you and JB said you like wine. Jinyoung suggested the brand, and BamBam told me where to get." Mark sat beside me on the ottoman and handed me the wine for further inspection. It's a standard Pinot Noir bottle and I've had it way too many times to know where it could possibly come from.

"It's the wine shop on top of the secret bar, right?"

"Yeah, how do you know?"

"Because I have two bottles of this downstairs,"

"Damn, then we shouldn't have bought you this then."

"No, it's fine! I love it, thank you," I said, uncorking the bottle again and taking a swig. A look of surprise registered on his face briefly, and I realized that I was drinking from the same bottle tip that touched his lips a while ago. I felt my face heating up instantly as my tongue passed over my lips. Mark chuckled, and I couldn't help but laugh along with him. How could I not? His laughter could probably resurrect a dead squirrel. We took turns drinking from the bottle and I tried to keep my mind from straying towards my long-dormant, dirty thoughts.

"Hey, you haven't opened the other gift yet?" Mark asked, pointing at the pink box on top of my dresser.

"Yup," I said, smacking my lips to taste the wine better.

"Open it now, I want to see your reaction,"

"Okay," I shrugged. He nodded at me excitedly as I handed him the bottle and stood up to retrieve the gift. It was so obscenely pink, I wonder how he must have felt when he left the store. He said he carried it in a brown paper bag, which was smart because if a male idol like him was seen holding this pink box in public it would have been a scandal in the making.

I gently removed the ribbon wrapped around the box and lifted the lid to find more pink tissue papers inside. He stared at me, curious eyes piercing my numbing senses. I went through the delicately folded paper which revealed a chocolate brown silk nightgown. "Oh my god," I gasped. "This is so beautiful!"

"I think it suits you, it's the same color as your eyes." I looked at him. His gaze was warm, and soft around the edges. My heart constricted. I handed him the box and held the fabric up against my body. The smooth, silk cloth fell just above my knees and the lace trimmings on the neckline of the gown draped elegantly against my chest. I shook my head, thinking it actually might look pretty on me. _But why would he give me this when we're in the middle of winter?_

"You forgot something." He held the box up to me and at the bottom of it sat a lonesome pair of lace panties. He watched me scowl with a look of naughty amusement. "You don't like it? I thought you like lace because you have so many of these!" He explained. My mind went back to the first night they came to my apartment where they discovered my love for expensive, intricate underwear.

"Oh for fuck's sake don't ever buy me things like these again, okay? It is so embarrassing!" I joked, laughing out loud and taking the matching underwear to my night gown. I could tell he was pretty surprised to hear me curse so I bit my lip and muttered a tiny apology. "Sorry, wine. But thank you, I really appreciate it. I'll come up with a good holiday gift for you guys too, I promise."

"No, you don't have to! You've done so much for us already. Look, you even threw us a last minute party, this is the least we could do."

"Well if wine and fancy lingerie are the least you can do then I can't imagine what else you'd give your girlfriend," I mindlessly commented while folding my new sleeping set and placing them in my dresser along with the other lacey stuff I have. I wondered, then, how old the wine was because it was the only explanation I could come up with for the bold remarks. 

"But I don't have a girlfriend," Mark said, a smirk spreading on his pretty face. I gnawed on my lower lip furiously in an attempt to wake my senses from the alcohol-induced numbness spreading through my body at that moment. "So, since you're a girl, and you're my friend, you're going to have to carry the burden of receiving my gifts." He stood up and walked towards me, his left hand still holding the bottle of wine. He took another swig from the bottle and I watched as he smacked his lips and sighed. He turned to me and his sultry gaze suddenly changed into a look of concern. "Love, you're bleeding!"

Mark placed the half-full wine bottle on top of my dresser and stepped closer to me. He held my face gently with his left hand, lithe, thin fingers tracing a line from my cheek down to my chin. He lifted my chin upwards. His face was inches away from mine and I got momentarily distracted by his blonde fringe. He looked so good that I stuttered like an overcaffeinated cat. "M-m-mwo hae?" [What are you doing?]

"Stop biting your lip," Mark said. He gently swiped the blood off with the pad of his thumb across my quivering lower lip. I felt my breath hitch at the sudden contact, and I knew that he knew because he smirked at me, his eyes aflame. We heard a fake cough coming from the direction of the barn door. JB was obviously curious about what he saw.

"Sorry to bother you but your seven minutes are over," Jackson said, his head sticking out of the bathroom door. From his perspective, it must have looked like we were kissing and he seemed rather perplexed about it when I turned around to look.

"Gaja?" [Let's go?] Mark cooly said as his hands dropped to his sides. I followed them downstairs, consciously licking my lips. It tasted like wine and metal and I felt a tinge of pain as I sat back down on the sofa where the game apparently continued even while we were gone.

"Hey," Amber nudged my knee with her free hand. Henry was fast asleep on her lap. "Are you okay?"

I nodded enthusiastically, though I knew that I wasn't fully okay—not when Mark sat on the shabby gray rug on the floor, cozily leaning against my leg, his blonde head resting on my knee.

*******

I hear the audience chanting hopefully outside, and see the staff scurrying around for the final part of the show. The boys are tired, I can see it in their eyes. Despite the thick gray hoodie they're wearing, I see the beads of sweat on their foreheads which the makeup artists are gently mopping with tissues. It's weird considering that the temperature outside has dropped lower than forecasted. Somewhere out there, a salaryman or a university guy is freezing in the cold and here I am, standing a few feet away from seven sweaty boys who are trying to keep their energy together.

"GOT7! GOT7! GOT7!" The chant is endless. The music starts out of the blue, momentarily startling me. I take photos of their candid moments backstage before facing the crowd again. There's a hush among the staff as we watch our boys gather their remaining energy to perform for their fans for the last time that night. I hear mutters and whispers but those things feel like loose noise compared to the blaring voices, the chants, and the screaming outside. I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Sarang-ssi," I froze. That voice is so distinct, so unreal. "I'm glad to see you here."

"Oh, PD-nim!" I say as I turn to bow to JYP himself. "Annyeong haseyo!" I give him my sweetest smile and he returns it with his signature shy grin and a nod. "It's good to see you too," I add in English. The guy's pretty fluent, this I know, because when we bump into each other at the company he always speaks to me in Korean first, and then in English.

"I hope you're having a good time seeing this live," The executive producer says as he turns to the monitor in front of us.

"Ah, ne. It's quite refreshing seeing them in the flesh every once in a while than just staring at my monitor in the office all the time," I joke. The PD doesn't seem to notice the snarkiness of my remark. We watch in silence as the cameras zoom in on Jackson's face. I always find it difficult to edit his parts into the videos because he's always so active that it's often hard to find good, steady clips of him while performing.

"Sarang-ssi, do you have time after the event?" Park Jinyoung—the big Park Jinyoung—asks, turning his kind face to me again.

"Y-yeah, I guess I have time." _God, is he going to ask me to work at a time like this?! Why did I even agree to go to this event?!_

"I was wondering if you'd like to eat with me, I really don't like eating dinner alone." He flashes me his perfectly white teeth and I am stunned. My bloody boss is asking me to eat dinner with him. I nod and mutter a small okay because, really, when JYP—the Asian Soul—asks you to dinner, you're only limited to one answer.


	15. An Organic Confession (M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! 
> 
> WARNING: This one's marked M because of casual drinking. Because adult conversations are never complete without either wine or coffee (I'm an adult, trust me on this LOL).

This is probably the most eventful dinner I have ever had in Seoul in the two and a half years I've been here. Sure, I've eaten in fancier hotels. And I have tasted a lot of good sushi platters in my lifetime—but nothing compares to the frightening feeling of sitting across your company's co-founder, eating fancy sushi and drinking like long-time mates. I'm actually glad I'm wearing something appropriate for a fancy hotel dinner with my boss.

"You know I'm not surprised you like sashimi," Producer JYP says, picking up his silver chopsticks.

"Why?" I timidly ask. I now realize that my boss speaks to me in English when we're in a casual setting just like this, and he doesn't really do that with other employees. Mark's American, but does he talk to him in English too? _Maybe. I wouldn't really know. Maybe I should ask Mark._

"Because you seem to like eating healthy food—I mean, that's just my impression of you. You seem like the kind of person who eats organic, you know?"

"You mean like you and Jackson?" I comment, bravely chuckling. He laughs along. It's a running joke in the industry that JYP only consumes organic stuff and that he somehow passed this habit to Jackson. "Why do you think I only eat organic food?"

"Because you have really nice, healthy skin and that's one indicator." I nod, fascinated by his love for all things organic. "You know," He adds while watching me eat a piece of tuna sashimi. It melts in my mouth the minute I chew it and I can't help but let out a happy sigh. "If I didn't see your impressive resume before the interview, like, when you applied as a video producer, I would have scouted you to be a trainee instead!" I stop chewing. He laughs when I shake my head furiously, eyes blown wide.

"Oh, PD-nim! Mianheyo... But that's just bollocks. I'm too old to be a trainee and my voice is just—I'm not that awful, but you have Jamie Park and I could only sound like her when she's sick." He responds with a chortle at that. His laughter is so contagious that even the servers are smiling. I take a sip of my wine while waiting for him to climb down from his happy high. We talk about my favorite JYP artists, why I wanted to work for his company in the first place, and why I think no other sushi will taste the same now that I've eaten a platter of the best (not to mention most expensive) sushi in town with him. He laughs and he laughs and he laughs with so much enthusiasm. I wonder where he gets his energy.

"Ah, you're so fun to eat with! I'm finally getting why the boys are gaining weight so fast based on their physical assessments," He mentions it so casually that I almost fail to realize the sudden turn of vibe.

"Sorry, who's gaining weight?" I ask. I've known about industry practices, like monthly assessments, way before I joined JYP. As a K-Pop fan, it is a must to know how much hard work idols put into their careers. When you start knowing that they're basically forced to diet and workout to maintain a specific weight, or that they only get to sleep for several hours a week because of practices, you start appreciating them more.

"I've been told the boys are getting heavier every assessment, which is absolutely good! We've been telling Mark and BamBam to gain some muscle for years. Tell me, what are you feeding them?"

"Uhhh... I..." I don't know what else to say so I decide to just casually admit to the guilt that's crushing my ribs, making me sweat. "Well, mostly Western food," It's a nonplus answer but I hope it would sufficiently take my point across.  _We're just casually hanging out and there is nothing to panic about._  Except, we both know that there are many things to panic about. "I can cook chicken wings and burgers but I can never learn how to make sushi..." I add, smiling wanly. He nods at me and sips his wine. I start toying with the tuna sashimi on my plate. 

_Am I getting fired?_

"I see," He sets his empty wine glass down which prompts the servers to refill it instantly. I consciously wait for him to break the news of my unemployment over sushi. "Sarang-ssi..." He leans closer to the table, voice dropping. My heart starts pounding in my chest. "For what it's worth, I'd like to say sorry and thank you," He's speaking in Korean once again. I ask him to explain. "Because these boys are strangers and I know they keep coming to your home, which has been quiet for the past few years. I have to admit I am concerned about your—and their—privacy and security...for obvious reasons."

We fall into uneasy silence, the producer because he's gauging my reaction, and me because I'm gauging his sincerity.

"Well, the thing is..." I start, heart still beating fast despite my will to deliver my next words in the most honest way I could. "I never thought of them as strangers." The producer nods at me and smiles kindly, making me want to elaborate on the matter further. "I've always felt that, because I see their faces on my screen all the time, they've become my friends more than my workmates."

"I see..." He mulls it over.

I finally realize where this is heading, why this conversation is happening, so I steer us to that path without warning. "Which is why I wish to apologize about what happened three weeks ago..." I say, my voice soft and almost incomprehensible. I take a deep breath before explaining everything in full detail: The party, the drinking, the decision to make everyone stay until the morning, and the photos.

***Flashback***

After a few more rounds of Yugyeom's truth or dare game, JB, Jinyoung, Mark and I decided to make the guests stay because everyone in the room looked terribly drunk and I didn't want to risk sending them home in that state. So I laid mattresses and blankets for the boys in the living room and told the girls to sleep in my spare bedroom, at least until the sun comes up.

I was left alone in the kitchen, busily cleaning up the mess despite the weird feeling in my stomach brought about by the numerous glasses of wine and champagne  I had. I wasn't drunk, but I knew I wasn't completely sober either... and I knew that because I couldn't quite remember which of the boys hugged me from behind while I was washing the dishes.

"Are you not going to turn around?" The voice asked. It was deep... but that was all I could remember.

"No," I smirked.

"Why?" He asked, his warm breath fanning the side of my neck.

I remembered biting my lip so hard that the wound I got from earlier that evening started to hurt again. I remembered moaning and immediately masking it with a flirty giggle. "I'm not turning around because I know that if I do you're going to kiss me..."

"And you don't want that?" He said, tentatively letting his arms around my waist loose.

"I want that..." I said, shifting on my feet slyly. "But I wouldn't want that for you." It was supposed to be a whisper, but it came out as a quiet growl. He chuckled then left. I remembered fighting the will to turn around until I heard his footsteps fading.

The morning after our New Year's Day Party, photos of Jackson, Henry, and Amber leaving my apartment building circulated. Apparently, some sasaeng fans followed SM Entertainment's van and saw Henry swaggering unsteadily in his clothes the night before, donning a pair of huge sunglasses that was obviously way too girly to be his. Jackson was only trying to help Amber keep him upright but he ended up getting inside the van when the fans tried to chase them.

JB and I watched in shock from my balcony as the car sped away before the fans could take any more compromising photos. I immediately pushed JB inside. "What do we do?" He asked, his brows tied in a knot on his forehead. His jaw jutted out fiercely. I looked around the mess inside my apartment, desperate for a solution.

"Ah," I said, snapping my fingers. "We'll sneak you guys out while Mina and Jenny stand guards outside. Jackson will probably be in your dorm soon. We're going to have to ask your manager for help," I answered. JB hissed at my problematic exit plan involving GOT7's new manager but nodded anyway. It wasn't like he had any other choice. I quickly dialed Jackson's phone.

Jenny and Mina left through the front doors of my apartment complex and immediately informed me that the fans were still waiting in the park outside my building, hoping more idols would show up. Jackson managed to borrow a friend's car which he and their manager covertly drove to the basement parking. Before any of the sasaeng fans knew it the car was gone and I was left in my apartment alone, cleaning up while trying to figure out who it was that I rejected the night before.

***Flahforward***

"PD-nim..." I say, standing up from my seat. My chair makes a loud, embarrassing sound and everyone in the restaurant turns to look at us. JYP watches me with eyes wide in shock. "I know my bad decisions have caused many inconveniences. Jeosonghamnida. [I apologize.]" I do a 90-degree bow, secretly thanking the heavens that my high heels are preventing me from coming face to face with my plate.

"A-ani, ani, you don't have to say sorry!" He waves a hand at me dismissively, stands up, and taps my shoulder before pulling my chair forward like a true gentleman. "Sarang-ssi, you must have misunderstood. I'm not mad about the house party. The management barely even noticed it,"

"What is it then?"

"Well, honestly," The PD-nim seems to be at a loss for words. And who wouldn't be? I basically dragged this fancy dinner into the awkward zone. "I just wanted to understand your relationship with the boys better,"

Silence.

I tell myself not to be on the defense because I never really did anything wrong. It's just that in this country, and in this culture, it's not very common for a girl to invite boys over to hang out. "Well, we're all friends... I am especially close to the foreign members because we have this understanding, you know?" My boss nods in agreement. I admit that we've all been talking a lot via SMS and Kakao, but that I feel uncomfortable talking casually with them while at work. I tell him that they would call or FaceTime me whenever they're bored and they almost always end up coming over to just eat and talk.

"I know why it's important for you to understand the dynamics of our friendship," I continue, my voice soft yet my convictions solid. "Believe me, your concerns are the same as my concerns. But I did talk to JB about this and we both agree that if the boys ever need an outlet, they need someone who's also from the inside. They may be idols, but they're humans too. They need a safe place to be themselves, away from cameras and work issues. They want to feel normal, and relaxed and maybe my apartment is the closest to normal they could get..."

He nods, a small smile forming on his face. "Well, I trust you and JB, so I know the boys are safe. There are only two things I—and, of course, the management—would like to ask from you."

The word management rings in my ears like a bell. I start to feel fidgety again. "What is it?" 

"First, we need you to be very careful whenever they're in your care." I nod dutifully. "Second, and most importantly..."

I watch one of South Korea's best producers pick up another sushi from the platter in the middle of our table. He eats it with much gusto and stares back at me with a knowing smile. "Please don't date any of the boys. You do know about the dating ban, right?" I feel the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. Jackson once told me that one thing Park Jinyoung—the CEO—and Park Jinyoung—the GOT7 member—had in common was their ability to read people well. Now I know exactly why he said that.

"I know," I say, half laughing as I try to shake away the image of Mark touching my lip and the feeling of someone's arms wrapping illicitly around me just a few days ago. "Of course I won't, that's not going to happen at all." There's a certain pull in my chest when the words escape my mouth. Of course he needs to drive the point that the boys are not allowed to date anyone until three years after their debut. Of course I can't fall in love with them. _Of course._

"Wae?" He animatedly points his chopsticks at me. "You're such a pretty girl! Even the people in our company think so. You've gotten popular because you don't look or dress like a regular employee, don't you know that?"

"Aishhh, that's not true!"

"It IS true! Isn't your mother the famous jewel designer from Sydney and your dad the hotelier from Busan? No matter how hard you try to dress normal, you still look rich to me," My insides suddenly drop and he catches the look on my face. I eat another piece of sashimi in silence. "Sarang-ssi, I think one of the reasons the boys like you is because you're truly, very humble. You're an heiress. I knew who you were based on your last name, but I still hired you because you said you were confident that you could bring something new to the company and none of the applicants that day ever said those words."

My heart leaps out of my chest once more. I haven't told anyone about my parents, nor have I told anyone about what my life really was like in Australia. _Do the boys know? W_ hen people ask me, I always just say that my mom is a jewelry designer and my dad is an architect because my brother and I were never raised to think like heirs anyway. I tell him about my experience working as a waitress in college to save up for my plans of living in Korea. He tells me about his odd jobs back in the day. Before we both the know it, it's nearing 10PM and we have finished a whole bottle of wine already. The sushi platter has been emptied as well. He pays the bill ever so casually and drives me to my apartment building, memorizing the way as we go.

"PD-nim, in case you want to eat and hang out, my apartment is on the penthouse floor of the west wing, okay?" I joke.

"I'll take you up on that offer some other time, annyeong!" He waves at me before driving away.


	16. Dance Break

If there was one good thing that came out of the dinner with Jinyoung PD-nim it's that I was finally allowed to go home for two weeks. He was so shocked that I haven't seen my family in Australia for over a year because I never had the chance to come home before starting at JYPE, and as a new employee, I technically wasn't allowed to go on vacations just yet. So while GOT7 is on break, some of the staff—including me and Mina—were given two weeks time off before the next big comeback.

Which is why I now find myself sipping martini by the poolside of a huge mansion in Perth, wearing a too-sexy-for-my-own-good black romper and looking every bit out of place in the midst of drunk teens and adults. From a distance, I can see my 28-year-old brother doing his best rave moves inches away from the DJ booth. The DJ, I have learned, is Australian breakthrough artist Troye Sivan's brother, Tyde Levi. It's still beyond me how we suddenly got invited to Troye's house party to celebrate his successful world tour. But the one thing I'm sure of is that I have a good feeling about Tyde.

I don't know why, but there's something about my brother's 16-year-old famous friend that made me say "yes" to all the craziness despite my jet lag.

****

*******

The last time I was at Sydney International Airport, I was with my mum who forced me to take two huge Rimowa luggage to Korea—one of which was filled with new designer clothes and makeup I absolutely did not ask for. My mom loves to shop for clothes and because I only come home once a year she tends to go overboard during our shopping trips. For this same reason, I decided to forgo any luggage on this trip. 

_I... Love you... Baby I... I love you..._

"Yob—Hello?" I answered my phone immediately before my ringtone starts spewing Korean words in public.

"Don't you dare, I've had enough of Mom speaking Korean to me at home," said my brother Hope over the phone. A navy blue BMW sedan stopped in front of me and I found my brother smirking in the passenger seat as he rolled his window down. "Where are the rest of your stuff?"

I pointed to my backpack behind me. "In here," We put our phones down and he climbed out of the car to hug me. "Thank you for picking me up so early in the morning. I know you hate mornings,"

"It's fine. Shit, I'm so hungover I can't even drive."

"Who's driving then?" I moved away from my brother to check the heavily-tinted car before us. "And whose car is this?"

He took his sunglasses off and I saw the horrible dark circles around his eyes. His grin is all too familiar and it could only mean that he may or may not have done something crazy again. "I'll explain later. Hop in," He opened the door for me and I climbed into the backseat.

"Hello," said the young man in the driver's seat. "I'm Tyde Levi, nice to meet you." He reached out to me and I graciously shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you too!" I was taken aback by his bright blue eyes and adorable dimples. His name and angelic round face seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite remember how. He must've been one of those fraternity brothers who visited every time Hope threw his posh birthday dinners, which I used to never want to be a part of if not for my mother's insistence. "Thank you so much for picking me up, I hope it's not too much of a bother."

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm always picking up people at airports. I know this place like the back of my hand." He drove as soon as Hope settled in the seat beside him and true enough he seemed to know his way around.

"Bro, don't worry. I'm buying you breakfast and coffee. Whatever you like, mate, whatever you like." Hope said, putting his sunglasses back on. I was not even surprised to know that he hasn't been home since last night.

"Really? I'd like pancakes, is that okay?"

"Good lord, is that all? I'll buy you a fucking pancake tower."

"Wow, it is so good to be back home. I missed all the cussing," I said, making Hope and Tyde laugh. I told them how it took me three years to learn and actually speak curse words in Korean because my first two years were spent learning Hangul from an international language school. The only bad word I knew coming to Korea was pabo [stupid] and it wasn't even THAT offensive. My dad, being the curt ahjussi that he is, never spoke a bad word at home in English or Korean.

"Who taught you how to curse then?" Tyde asked.

"JB and Jackson," I blurted, looking out the window to the almost empty roads. It was a quiet Sunday when I came home to Sydney.

"What?! The guys you work for taught you to cuss? That's fucking insane!" Hope commented.

"I don't work FOR them, Hope, I work WITH them," I said, full of conviction.

"What kind of work do you do in Korea?" Tyde asked.

"She works in the music industry too," Hope answered, his voice dripping with pride. "She's a video editor, she works WITH K-Pop idols,"

"Oh wow, that's so dope!" Tyde said, blue eyes meeting mine through the car's rearview mirror. "Who do you work with?"

"I'm currently assigned to this seven-piece boyband called GOT7."

"I haven't heard their songs yet. Can you play one?" He said, throwing me off momentarily. Hope protested by telling us that it was way too early in the morning for me to play songs they wouldn't understand anyway. "It's music, dude. You're supposed to just enjoy it. Come on," Tyde goaded, pressing the Bluetooth button of his car radio.

I connected to it and scrolled through my GOT7 playlist. Somehow I felt like it was a make or break situation and the pressure killed me a little inside. That must be how Liv felt when she first introduced me to Wonder Girls and 2ne1. I decided to play If You Do first.

"Oh... This is good! Is this their new song?!" Hope was the first to react.

"Yeah," I consciously watched Tyde tap his fingers on the steering wheel. I remembered being so flustered during the shoot for the If You Do MV because of a lot of things... But mostly because of Mark.

"Play the other one, the one they released before that song!" Hope asked, reeling me back into the conversation. Despite our constant bickering, he always said he's my biggest fan. He went nuts when he saw the CG effects I did for Just Right. "Dude, the music video for this one looks like fucking N'Sync, it's so cool." He told Tyde as the intro rolled in.

"Oh wow, I like this! What is this?" Tyde asked.

"It's called Just Right," I answered, translating lyrics every once in a while. Hope started dancing as soon as the chorus came in. He showed Tyde the hook's dance points and they both grooved to the music, possibly momentarily forgetting that I was there.

"This is so fun, you should play me more of this!" Tyde said, turning to me with a smile before fixing his eyes back on the road. "Can you send me this song? I'll play it tonight at the party,"

"Dude, that would be sick!"

"I know right? I'll probably, like, play parts of it and remix it with some of the beats we made last week."

"Wait, what party?" I interrupted.

"Oh, we're having a house party later for my brother. You're coming, right?"

"Uh-I," I racked my brains for reasons not to go, but couldn't think of any.

"She's coming," My brother said forcefully. "She wouldn't want to miss out on meeting THE Troye Sivan."

"What?! He's your brother?!" I said, eyes wide. I've been a fan of Troye since his YouTube days when the promise of being a world-famous singer-songwriter seemed far away. I was in Korea when he finally had his Billboard breakthrough and started touring as an artist. Despite my jetlag, I allowed my brother to drag me to Perth later that afternoon in the hopes of meeting Troye.

*******

My phone starts vibrating in my hand, jolting me out of my reverie. I see a message from BamBam in our group chat, which was (thankfully) renamed "With Love, The Resthouse Caretaker." I instantly smile when I see his photo.

 **BamBam:** Hello from Thailand!

 **Me:** *waving emoticon* Sawadeekaa!

 **BamBam:** Hello, Noona! Are you in Australia?

 **Love:** Yup!

 **BamBam:** What time is it over there?

 **Love:** 11PM

 **BamBam:** How come you still awake?

 **Love:** I'm at a party!

 **BamBam:** Wow! Take a selfie!

I find myself giggling at that. Since our New Year's Day party, my phone has been constantly filled with selfies and random photos from the boys. I've never sent them a single selfie. The act feels too intimate and the thought of them keeping my photos in their galleries scares me a bit. What if somebody sees them?

Tonight's a bit different though. As I down the rest of my rum coke, I feel a tinge of confidence spreading through my body and it's enough for me to snap a photo of my slightly flushed, fully made-up face. I send it to the group immediately before I start regretting it.

 **Mark:** Nice! We finally have your selfie *wink emoji*

I feel my heart jump up to my throat upon seeing his name. My hands grow cold and I'm suddenly thirsty for another rum coke. It's the same sickly feeling I got while watching him film his part for the If You Do music video—like I'm in a roller coaster that stopped mid-air.

 **BamBam:** Noona, you look hot!

 **BamBam:** Mark Hyung, did we wake you up?

 **Mark:** No, I was awake the whole time. Just busy.

 **Mark:** Love, where are you?

 **Love:** Perth, at Troye Sivan's house

I send them a photo of the huge house in front of me. I met Troye a few hours ago when we arrived. True to his word, Tyde introduced me to his brother who beamed at us warmly and also asked me to send him the K-Pop playlist I'm making for his brother. I send them my photo standing side by side with Troye and Hope.

 **BamBam:** That is so cool!

 **BamBam:** And I like your outfit!

 **Love:** Thanks! How's vacation so far?

 **Mark:** I'm just chilling...

 **BamBam:** Me too.

 **BamBam:** I was so tired yesterday. I got to the airport and there were so many fans waiting I couldn't believe it!

 **Love:** That's really sweet!

 **Mark:** How about you Love?

 **Love:** I'm bored. I got no one to talk to here.

"Yo, what the fuck are you doing here all alone?" Hope has the best timing in the world. He looks at me through hooded eyes, his graphic shirt sticking to his sweaty body as he finishes another drink. With the way he looks right now you wouldn't think he's a licensed architect.

"I'm chatting with my friends," I say. Hope grabs my phone and slips it into his back pocket. "What the—Hope!"

"Stop being a princess and just come with me. Tyde is looking for you and I will kill you if you miss out on this opportunity," He grabs my wrist and drags me towards the DJ booth, sweaty bodies rubbing against me as they dance to the intro of Justin Bieber's Sorry. Tyde sees me and waves at me.

"Hey!" Tyde says, taking his headphones off momentarily as I walk up to him. I hand him a thumb drive containing the audio files of Just Right and If You Do. "Oh, thanks!" I force myself to smile, hoping I wouldn't get in trouble for giving away important music files just like that. His hand lands on my lower back as he moves closer to talk to me over the loud music. "So, Hope told me you like mixing music too?"

"Yeah, I did that back in college," I answer. I used to edit cheer mixes for my university's cheer squad because Liv, my best friend, is the head cheerleader. She discovered my editing capabilities way sooner than everyone else did and she, along with my brother, convinced me to keep doing it. I guess I have them to thank for my job. Tyde smiles at me and I realize he's almost a foot taller than I am so I squint a little at him.

"Do you want to learn how to DJ?"

"What?!" I ask. The bass is way too loud.

"I think you can learn pretty easily, I listened to your old mixes and you've got the basics down,"

"Oh my god, really?" I say, realizing that Hope may have planned this all along. _Hope, I will definitely kill you but not tonight because I love you._ "I-I'd love to learn. Are you sure it's okay?"

"Of course, come on!" Tyde pulls me towards the booth and shows me his station. It's the first time I'm seeing all these things and yet somehow, it all feels familiar to me. "Go on, try it out!" He gives me his headphones and shows me how to add layers to the music. I try playing the transition beats from If You Do's hook and it went in perfectly with Sorry's chorus. Tyde gives me a thumbs up sign before showing me how to mix things up and I absorb it so easily that we're both grooving at the DJ booth side by side before the song even ended.

"Thanks, Tyde, this is so much fun!" I say, beaming at him as I hand his headphones back. I'm never the kind of person to party hard. Lord knows I'd rather cozy up at home with my vinyl records and books. But at this exact moment, I feel different.

"Dude, you were really good! Listen," He scoots closer to me again and whispers. "I have a gig this weekend, do you want to spin with me?"

I nod, the world whirling around me just a little. He tells me that we should talk about it later and I nod enthusiastically before turning my back on him. My heart is racing as I step out of the DJ booth.


	17. One Step

*******

"Liv, please..." I was on my knees on the hotel bed, hands clasped together in prayer with my phone in between my palms. I'm still feeling woozy after the 13-hour flight from Sydney to Los Angeles and my body hasn't fully recovered from the constant partying. Frankly, arguing with Olivia was the last thing I wanted to do that morning.

The LA trip wasn't actually a part of my vacation plans. All I ever planned to do was stay in bed and hang out with my friends in Australia. But the parties and the festivals happened and I had way too much fun learning how to spin with Tyde and my brother—who apparently just approached the 16-year-old in his drunken stupor after a successful rave the night before I came back.

Liv was just downright mad. She didn't know I was back until she saw Sydney's society pages abuzz with my sudden appearance at major parties. They found it amusing that the quiet jewelry empire heiress, who suddenly disappeared after graduating from ANU School of Arts with honors, now favored partying and turning tables—literally. Liv turned up at one of the parties we attended and gave me an earful for not telling her I've been in town for a few days already. To appease her, I offered to accompany her to an LA business trip so we could catch up.

"Liv, please, he's probably really busy," I explained yet again that I couldn't possibly just call Mark and tell him I'm in town. I mean, I could. I just didn't want to. I would very much like to stay away from anything that would give Jackson, BamBam, and JB more reasons to tease us.

"Oh for god's sake, Love. We are NOT going to Disneyland until you talk to him. Do it. FaceTime him now." Olivia grabbed my iPhone, dialed the number, and held the phone in front of my face.

I saw my newly woken, puffy face on the screen, my messy mop of brown hair haphazardly tied in a loose bun. The sleeve of my white shirt hung loosely off my left shoulder and my bangs prickled my eyes. "Can I at least take a sho—"

"Hey, oh, good morning!" Mark Tuan was already up and about in his workout clothes, panting and sweaty while putting his earphones back on. There I was, still in my pajamas, yawning as Liv thrust the phone back into my palms. "Where are you?" He asked.

"Good morning! Oh my god, I'm so sorry I look like this..." I muttered under my breath, rubbing my eyes. "I'm in LA, actually!"

"Are you really? Oh my goodness," He said, eyes wide.

"Yeah, surprise!" I feigned a tiny laugh. _God, that was so awkward._ "I just got here last night, I'm here for four days and then I'm going back to Korea." I adjusted my bangs and fixed my shirt sleeves. I couldn't look directly at Mark's makeup-free face—though it isn't very different from his made-up face anyway—because I felt like I was going to self-combust for no reason.

"So what are you doing today then?" He sat on a black couch and dried his face with a small towel. The bed dipped when Liv sat in front of me, mouthing 'Oh my god' with bulging eyes. I gave her a warning look. _Let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay?_

"Uhm we're actually going to Disneyland today and that's about the only plan I have coming here. I have no idea what I'm going to do in the next couple of days," I lobbied for a minute, watched Mark fix his newly dyed brown hair and tried not to stare at Mark's developing biceps. He's been working out a lot for the comeback and the results are a bit intimidating—in a good way.

"Oh, so you're not busy tomorrow? I'm hanging out with my friends, do you want to come? It's your turn to visit MY house." He was smiling. It was as if he knew exactly why I called so he said it out loud for me. I stopped for a moment to decide, though it was a bit unnecessary considering that I felt like melting just seeing his smiling face on my screen.

"Yeah... Uh, that sounds like a good plan," I stuttered, making him grin. Somehow, it was comforting to know that I have a friend in LA other than Liv, who was about to get busy with her meetings with the KCon 2016 coverage team for Spark Magazine. That was why she forced me to call Mark up. She just didn't want me to be alone. I told her I'd be fine because I've always been comfortable being alone but Liv's the total opposite of my introvert self.

"Cool, I'll pick you up at your hotel tomorrow, okay? Enjoy Disneyland!" We both said our goodbyes and I promptly hung up before letting out a huge sigh and throwing a pillow at Liv's face.

"I am so getting back at you for this," I announced before marching to the bathroom.

"You are so thanking me for this, trust me," She guaranteed.

*******

Maybe I should message her and let her know that I am thankful for her annoying act yesterday. Right now he's grinning from ear to ear while flipping through our Polaroid photos at Disneyland. It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon and were resting in their spacious porch with his high school friends, drinking beer after the early dinner Raymond, his dad, prepared for us. _The man can make really, REALLY good barbecued ribs._

Earlier, Mark and his friends took me to the village park and taught me how to skateboard. They also toured me around the neighborhood they grew up in and even showed me the high school they all went to. His friends told me Mark was always the shy kid in class, which was why they didn't immediately believe him when he said he's going to train in Korea.

"Oh, can I have this one?" Mark takes a photo that got mixed up with the ones from yesterday. It's a group shot of GOT7 with me, Mina, and Jenny from the New Year's Day party. I nod and watch him carefully slip the photo in between the folds of his thick wallet. Andrew and Jessica, two of Mark's closest friends, are also looking at the photos on Mark's lap.

"I really love the dress you wore to Disneyland yesterday!" Jessica says. Her sweet smile is way too pretty to be true. How can Mark be friends with her and NOT like her? Then again, I really have no idea what their friendship's like. _What if she's Mark's secret girlfriend?!_ "Where did you get it?" She asks.

This is the part where I try not to stutter because I always feel awkward talking about the things I'm wearing. "Oh... That..." I look at the photo in her hand, the one where I'm standing in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle wearing a blush pink slip dress and white chunky sandals. "I-It's from an Australian brand called We Are Kindred," I tell her that I bought the dress on a whim because of the beautiful gold lace details. It went beautifully with the mini tiara I bought as a souvenir.

"You've got to send me the link to this, it's so pretty!" Jessica says. The idea of her wearing the same dress sickens me, but I nod enthusiastically and even promise to follow her on Twitter. Andrew then grabs the Polaroid photo from Jessica and sits on the empty chair between us.

"If you're done talking dresses, can I ask for this photo? Mark has your photo in his wallet, I want one too," Andrew waves the photo at me with a naughty smile. A part of me wants to ask why he wants my photo. The other parts of my psyche want to flat out refuse because I actually really like the photo he's holding.

"Why do you want her photo?" Mark is quick to ask. _I swear to God, he can hear my thoughts._

"Because she's hot," Andrew answers, winking at me. I hear the rest of Mark's friends start screaming and whistling conspiratorially. Mark is laughing and shaking his head at the same time. "I want something to remember you by, if that's okay,"

"We can take a selfie on your phone," I say, trying to dissuade him from taking the photo by telling him it's the only photo I have in front of the castle. He agrees and hands the photo back to Mark before dragging his chair close to mine. I concede to taking as many photos as he wants and before I know it the guy's giving me a big, fat kiss on my cheek, making me blush and curse inwardly.

Andrew proudly parades the photo for everyone to see. I steal a glance at Mark to find him gathering my photos and putting them back in the ziplock bag it came in.

"Okay, that's it, I'm taking her away. You better start leaving now." He stands up, grabs me by the wrist and doesn't let go until the rest of his friends are gone. I wave at them despite the humiliating events and hold my other hand out to Jessica to say goodbye. She squeezes it gently, her eyes filled with unspoken apologies. Why do I get the feeling that this isn't the first time she saw someone being disrespected by her own friends?

"Mom, we're leaving."

"Where are you going?" His mom seems slightly disappointed that I'm not staying for long. His Dad comes out of the kitchen with a plate of French Fries, asking me to stay and help myself to a midnight snack. Mark starts speaking in Chinese with an explanation I cannot, for the life of me, understand. He kisses them on the cheek and places a hand on the small of my back. I take it as a cue to come forward to thank them and say goodbye.

"Ah, I hope you come back soon and stay with us," Raymond says, pulling me into a tight hug. Mark's mom comes forward too and mumbles a goodbye before hugging me too. _Okay, well, now I know why Mark's a hugger._

"I definitely will, thank you again," I answer with a slight bow. Mark leads me out of the house and into his car. I sit in the passenger side soundlessly, careful not to step on his obviously curling toes. "Gwaenchana?" I stupidly ask. He cackles and looks at me sideways as he starts the engine.

"I should be asking you that,"

"I'm fine," I say, keeping my anxious hands busy by putting the photos and my phone back into my purse. "You really didn't have to make them leave," I add. We seem to be heading towards Santa Monica Beach. I check my watch. It's half past 6PM. _What the heck is he planning?_

"They were rude," He answers briefly, checking his rearview mirror. I watch in fascination as he drives smoothly across the freeway. Mark and JB are the only ones allowed behind the wheel in their music videos. The directors told me that it's not just because they're the only members with a driver's license, it's also because they look really cool while driving. JB's angsty features and Mark's chill vibe make them perfect subjects for shots like that. My job is to make sure those shots are properly highlighted and if my eyes are camera lenses, this would've been an awesome scene to edit. "Are you surprised I actually know how to drive?" He asks, finally breaking the silence.

"No, I know you drive," I answer. Jackson once showed me the contents of Mark's wallet while he's in the bathroom during those random nights they visited my apartment. We laughed at his driver's license photo all evening. "It's just that I'm not used to seeing you like this,"

"Like what?"

"Like... I don't know..." I fumble for the right words to describe my thoughts. "Like a normal person, I guess?"

"Why? Am I not normal? You're the one who said we're human too," he says. Apparently, JYP spoke to them about me and gave them his express permission to escape to my 'resthouse' along with a list of rules.

"You know what I mean, Mark, you're a celebrity..." There's a look of pride in his eyes that I notice instantly. He is proud of being famous, he just doesn't like showing it off. Fame comes with a high price and he knows that well enough not to brag about it. "It's just weird watching you do stuff that normal people do. I mean, you don't drive like this in Korea because you have drivers to take you around for your schedules. You probably won't be seen ordering drive-thru and you sure as heck can't just go to the beach at 7PM. Trust me, with this comeback, you're not gonna be able to do any of those things anytime soon." I know he has been writing songs for their next two albums, and I'm bursting with excitement but I've sworn not to tell anyone about it.

"Well then let's do it now!" He says, beaming at me. We stop at an In N' Out drive-thru and order burgers and milkshakes. Then he parks the car at Santa Monica State Beach, takes a blanket from the trunk, and leads me to a secluded part of the beach so we can eat our take-out in peace.

"This is cool," I say, taking a huge bite off my Angus burger. "Thanks for planning this day,"

"How do you know I planned this out?" He asks, surprised that I'm catching up on his pretend-date so easily.

"I'm good at spotting clues." From the way he looked at me that morning when he picked me up at the hotel to the way his friends acted around me all throughout the day, I could tell he wanted this day to be memorable for the both of us. "I mean, surely not everyone in LA keeps a blanket in their trunks for emergency hangouts at the beach." My remark elicits a high pitched laughter from Mark.

Maybe Andrew kissing me wasn't a part of the plan, which was why he reacted so hastily. Maybe it's just me being at the right time and the right place, saying the right things in perfect timing. Maybe it's all a big coincidence. But it's his last night in Los Angeles so he must have given it a thought or two. And his plans led us here, sitting on the sand, hearing the waves crashing to the shore, and looking up at the stars in the sky.

"Okay, let's say I did plan everything out. How does that make you feel?" He asks. I look at him dead in the eye just to see how serious he is with his borderline-existential question. He looks back at me with a challenging look, like he's once again telling me he's choosing 'dare' over 'truth'.

"I kinda like it that way, to be honest," I say, avoiding his gaze and from my peripheral vision, I can tell that my answer made him smile.


	18. Two Step (M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Involves public foreplay and a bit of flirty, dirty talk. Shit's getting real y'all.

"Damn, what a beauty," I point to the distance and sigh before sipping the rest of my milkshake, My eyes are fixed on the glowing lights that dotted the Santa Monica State Beach shoreline. I watch the people playing in the water, getting their feet wet, their figures illuminated by the red and purple lights of the giant Ferris Wheel looming in the background. Everything around me looks and feels alive. Mark, however, is still dead silent. "Must be nice being away from all this and seeing it again like it's the first time..."

"It is," He whispers, making me snap out of my thoughts. I find Mark gazing right at me, his face almost expressionless. It's like he's staring at a painting in an exclusive art gallery, trying to estimate how much it would cost him if he were to buy a piece of art.

"Stop that."

"What?! What did I do?" He asks, acting all innocent and blinking at me repeatedly.

"I know that look Mark, I've seen that look before. I'm not trying to big-note myself here, I'm just telling you that I know exactly where this is going and we can't."

Silence.

Despite the romantic atmosphere brought about by the beach and the lights, I decide that it's best for the both of us to just face this issue like adults—which we are, in as much as we hate that fact.

"I know that..." Mark leaves his sentence hanging.

"Then stop." I try to focus on what I said to Park PD-nim back in Seoul, with sushi as our witness. No dating. Absolutely no dating. My heart clenches with guilt what with Mark being so close to me right now and giving me all the signs that point towards the possibility of a relationship that goes beyond the line of friendship.

"I can't." He says, his voice sounding so helpless and brave all at the same time. "I can't stop."

I laugh in spite of myself. "Of course you can, what are you on about? Why are you saying that?" I roll my eyes at him and he just stares at me. I focus instead on cleaning up what's left of our fast-food dinner. _Wrap it up. End this now._

"I can't because I'm attracted to you," Mark's voice is as concrete as the ground made of sand beneath us. "I've always been attracted to you," He adds. He seems very sure of it. The look on his face tells me he's not going to apologize for what he just said.

Silence.

I'm waiting for him to tell me that this is all just a joke. I'm waiting and waiting and waiting for a punchline because I'm afraid that if he doesn't I'm going to either breakaway or break the rules but it doesn't come. "I'm not going to take that back. We're both too old for that shit."

"Are you sure?" I ask, hoping he'd reconsider his feelings in the same way I've been reconsidering mine.

"Yeah," He answers, confusing me all the more. I shiver and it's not just because of the cold breeze blowing from the sea but also because of the ominous feeling of things changing right before my eyes. Maybe a knit crop top and a pair of distressed denim shorts isn't such a good combination when you're out on a pretend date—one where you don't even know you'd end up at the beach past 7PM with a confession hanging over your head. I press my legs together, pull them closer to my body, and rub the sides of my arms with my hands.

Suddenly, I feel the warmth emanating from behind me, solid arms circling my waist, long legs spreading on either side of me as Mark pulls me into his embrace. He closes the gap between my back and his chest and pulls my hair away gently so he could rest his chin on my bare shoulder. "Please say something," He whispers.

"What do you mean when you said you've always been attracted to me?"

"Do you remember the night we met while filming Real GOT7?" He asks me back with a soft chuckle.

"Yes," I smile. It's only been half a year since that night, how the heck would I forget?

"It wasn't an accident..." Before I get the chance to turn around and question him further, Mark hugs me tighter. My breath catches in my throat and I swallow hard as he leans closer to my ear. "I was rooming with Youngjae that night and there's this huge window in our room. I saw you taking your clothes off by the pool and I watched you swim."

I turn my head to look at him, our faces inches away from each other. _Is this for real?_ "I... B-But what about Coco? And the poop? I—"

"That was Coco's poop from the morning before." Mark laughs at my disbelieving face. "I didn't pick it up that morning so I used it as my excuse talk to you,"

"Oh, my g—Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was that night?! I was cold and dripping wet and I didn't know what to do!" I feel my cheeks burning as I turn away from him, making Mark laugh all the more.

"See, that's exactly why I had to lie. I could see your red bikini through your white dress and it looked really sexy," Mark says, his laughter dying down slowly, voice lowering a notch. "You have no idea how much it bothered me for several nights... It kind of still does..." There's a hint of mischief in his voice as he speaks and I try not to squirm against him. It's not that I'm not comfortable being so close to him like this. It's just that everything he's saying seems so unreal. I fake a laugh and stretch my legs out in front of me, leaning back to him a little as I try to get more comfortable. The stars and the lights are glinting on the water in front of us. It made me realize that we're getting deeper into the night and maybe into each other's thoughts too.

"Are you mad?" Mark asks, taking my right hand and kissing the back of it gently. My heart starts pounding in my chest.

"No, I'm not mad," I sigh and stare at my helpless hand intertwined with his. I feel like his kiss has melted my bones. "But I could definitely use a bottle right now. A lot of things are starting to make sense and not make sense all at the same time. Can we go somewhere to drink?"

"I don't want to drink tonight," Mark's breathing heavily on my shoulder now, his chest is heaving as he grazes the skin on my arm with his long fingers. "I want to remember every single detail about you..." He kisses my shoulder blade and my breathing hitches once more when his lips start tracing the line from my shoulder to my ear. _What is happening?_

"Like what?" I dare ask, willing my heart to slow down while he draws lazy circles up my arm and on my shoulder. His other hand starts traveling down my thigh, thumbs brushing against the bare skin that my ripped shorts are exposing.

"Your clothes," He whispers. "Your legs, your face..."

"Mark..." I call out softly before my defenses fall like leaves in autumn.

"Your boobs..." He continues, snickering in my ear. His lazy circles are moving constantly from my shoulder down to my cleavage. "Your neck..." I suddenly feel his hot breath on that sensitive spot, followed by his lips, and then his tongue. A moan escapes me and I immediately cover my mouth with both hands. I feel Mark smirking against my skin, his airy chuckle tickling me in places I never even imagined he could. My resolve is melting slowly in his arms.

He takes my hands away from my mouth with both of his own. "Your lips... God, I love your lips the most," He sounds desperate now as he traces my jawline with his finger. He tells me that it took all his willpower not to kiss me when we were stuck in my dressing room, drinking from one wine bottle. He whispers the many things he thought about while watching me anxiously trap my lips in between my teeth, knowing that his presence affected me so badly. He says he wanted to push me against the wall or down on the shaggy rug, hike my baby doll dress upwards and touch me anywhere I'd allow him access to. He reveals that he wanted to kiss me, and he wanted it all the more when the blood started oozing from my lip.

Unconsciously, I start gnawing on my lower lip again, my heart racing. He turns my face sideways, towards his, and my eyes fall on his mouth, moist and pink. In that split second, the wheels in my head start to turn. _Should I push him away or just let happen?_

"I like you so much, I've wanted to kiss you for the longest time..." He whispers again, just inches away from my face. Something inside me snaps. I lean first into his open invitation, kissing Mark Tuan on the lips with all the restrained force I could muster. He kisses me back.

It's not about breaking the rules now, it's about finally admitting to the truth that I've been trying to avoid for months.

I turn my body towards him and his hands find their way to the sides of my face, twisting me. Then he holds my face, caressing my cheeks softly as our lips crash together. I let my hands roam his chest, pulling him closer by the shirt. As we kiss, Mark somehow manages to slip his hand underneath my top and cup my right breast tenderly. I immediately pull away. "Mark, we're in public," I warn.

"Sorry," He stops groping me and scoots closer. I feel the bulge that has formed in his pants against my back. "I can't help it, you're turning me on so much right now." He attacks my neck again with eager kisses, leaving bruises while I purse my lips and grab onto the blankets beneath us to prevent myself from moaning. His fingers make their way to the crotch of my denim shorts and I suddenly feel hyper-aware of my own wetness. Damn, what is happening to me?

"Mmmhhhmmm... Do you want me to take you back to the hotel now?" Mark finally asks his labored breathing sending shivers down my spine. We both run to the car as soon as I find the willpower to nod, our blanket flying behind us.


	19. Chapter 19: Follow Me (M)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Super explicit, NSFW

If the hotel room door could talk, it's probably whinging at me now for my crazy ass decisions. It would have warned me that there were CCTVs in the hallway that might have recorded Mark grinding against me while I searched for my key card. I can imagine the door complaining loudly about bodies slamming on wood in heated passion.

The door, fortunately, doesn't have lips to give me sound advice, and even if it does, I probably wouldn't hear it because of all the sex talk I'm getting from Mark Tuan.

"Love, I want you so bad," He whispers yet again before savoring my neck, making me moan as he presses me up against the door. So this is how it is. He discovers all the tiny things that make me weak in the knees, and I find out just how much I've missed in the last three years.

"Mmmhhh... Okay..." I answer breathlessly as my leg brushes against his crotch, his manhood straining against his skinny jeans. "B-But you know, we actually have a bed right there so—."

He shuts me up with another brash kiss and grabs my waist, dragging me with him towards the bed. I imagine that the door must be glad. We stumble around the hotel room, kissing while dropping bits and pieces to the carpeted floor: My purse, his phone, my ponytail, his shoes, my shoes.

I feel the back of my legs hitting the edge of the bed, and I let myself fall until I'm panting beneath him, his weight knocking the air out of my lungs. Mark laughs as he pulls himself off me. "Sorry," He says, leaning to his side.

I immediately sit up to reevaluate my life choices. First, I decided to kiss him in public after his bold and unexpected confession. Second, I took him to the hotel room I'm sharing with Liv. Third, I told my best friend not to come back with the full knowledge and intent of having sex with a guy I've only been working with for six months—who, by the way, is two years my junior. _Am I crazy? I must be._

"Are you okay?" He suddenly asks, probably worried by my changing facial expressions. One minute I'm all hot and heavy for him (and I still am), the next minute I'm looking so confused and scared. "Hey, if you don't want to do this anymore, it's fine." He adds, sitting up to hold my hand.

"No, I want to," I answer, watching him kiss my knuckles tenderly.

"I don't want to force you—" He starts. I interrupt him with another kiss on the lips that begins innocently and ends up being less chaste, less escapable.

"Stop thinking..." I say, in between heated kisses, my hands moving to the back of his head, pulling him closer. His tongue invades my mouth, hands roaming my body. Mark guides me to his lap, and I willingly straddle him, my already wet crotch staining the front of his jeans.

His hands make their way inside my top, cupping my breasts and stroking my nipples through the thin layer of lace. I reach behind me to unhook my bra, and he takes that as his cue to start undressing me. He looks at me, in all my naked glory, eyes wide with utter bliss as I  move slowly on his lap. He starts kneading and kissing my breasts, swiping his wet tongue over one of my nipples while pinching the other with his fingers. I moan and throw my head back, unable to keep my pace because of his ministrations.

I feel his strong arms pulling me close again. "Suck me, baby, please..." He begs, lips hovering over the skin of my neck. He leaves a trail of purple kiss marks in his wake, making me want to please him all the more.

I stand up from his lap and slowly take the rest of my clothes off, never peeling my eyes off him. "Oh wow..." He mutters under his breath, eyes filling with lust.

I used to hate my body shape back in college. As a swimmer, I've always thought that being pear-shaped was more of a setback than an advantage. I could never find the right Spandex swimsuit that wouldn't invite male swimmers to ogle me during tournaments blatantly. Somehow, along the way, I've learned to like what I see in the mirror. Sports allowed me to maintain my curvy figure and with the way Mark's eyes transformed when I stripped down before him, I'd say it was all worth it.

I pull his shirt off him and toss it somewhere behind me, fingers traveling down his torso in a painfully slow manner. His abs seem less pronounced than when he's on stage, lights hitting him everywhere. It still looks every bit enticing as he leans on the bed, toned arms flexing. I take my sweet time unbuckling his belt and pulling pants down along with his boxer briefs; let out a little gasp when his cock springs out of the jeans it's been straining against since we left the beach.

"Like what you see?" Mark asks, a pleased smile spreading across his face. I lick my lips and smile in response. His penis looks proud as a statue. Very impressive, actually.

"Yeah, this is way better than seeing you half-naked on my computer screen acting all shy and shit," I joke and he lets out a high-pitched laugh. I pepper his body with kisses, starting from his collarbone, to his chest, to his abs, and down his fine, happy trail. He plays with my hair as I hover towards his crotch area and I look up to find him staring at me expectantly, pushing my hair away from my face.

He starts to beg when I stick my tongue out, playfully licking the tip of his dick. "Baby, please don't make me wait. I haven't had a decent blowjob in years," He touches my face tenderly, eyes consumed by a fire I've never seen before. It dawns on me, as I wrap my fingers around the base of his girth, how much they take their no-dating policy seriously. I brush the guilt away by finally taking the head of his dick inside my mouth and feeling the slit and the folds and the veins with my tongue, making him throb.

"Oh my goodness," He whispers, biting his lower lip hard as I suck lower, deeper, halfway down his length. "Shit!" Mark suddenly holds my head with gentle force as his manhood hits the back of my throat. I close my eyes and feel him pulsing, getting harder inside my mouth before I hollow out my cheeks to suck him upwards. "Damn, that feels so good..." He's moaning now, and it's adding up to the sopping mess in between my legs as I bob my head up and down his shaft.

"Baby, I have a condom in my wallet could you please put it on for me?" He says the minute I free him from in between my lips.

"I can't believe you're ready for this," I say, reaching for his discarded pants.

"I can't believe you're so good at this," He answers, laughing again as I rip the foil and expertly place the clear condom on his shaft with my mouth. He spills a few more expletives while I'm sucking him up and down, coating the flavored condom with my saliva.

We move to the center of the bed, kissing and touching along the way like hungry wolves. It's becoming harder for me to ignore the juices running down my thighs. He begs to go on top, and I oblige by lying down and spreading my legs for him. Mark positions himself between them and stares at me intensely while aligning himself to my entrance. "Are you sure about this?" He asks, his voice breathy as he rubs his sheathed dick against my slit.

"Mark, please..." I groan, feeling the head of his cock pressing flush against my slick folds. "I should be asking you that, you're younger than me!"

"Hey, only by a few months. Besides, I've already pictured this in my head a thousand times," He chuckles, pumping his cock before finally pushing it into me. I cry out in pain at the exact time he draws a long, heavy moan. "Oh my god, why are you so tight? Are you a virgin?" He whisper-screams, burying himself halfway inside me, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"I'm not, it's just..." I let my sentence hang to control my breathing, writhing in pain and pleasure beneath him. "I haven't had sex with anyone in three years and... Ohhh..." He drives his whole length into me, making me exhale sharply.

He grunts, filling me up with his long member, so good that my eyes flutter close. He pulls out and enters me again, this time faster and harder than the first. I dig my nails onto his back, enjoying every inch of him as he touches his forehead to mine.

"Am I hurting you?" Mark worriedly asks, letting me adjust to his size.

"Yes—No—I mean, I'm fine, I'm... Okay..." I say, wrapping my legs around his lean hips.

"You have no idea how good this feels for me," He whispers before moving his hips slowly but with calculated force. "You're so tight. I don't think I can last,"

"Then fuck me hard now and make me cum with you," I whisper back, aching for more. Mark kisses me hard on the lips and snaps his hips forward, driving himself deeper into my sex. His deep, steady thrusts draw moan after moan out of me, and I can't help but screw my eyes shut to feel him more.

"No, baby, look at me," Mark demands, not stopping for even a minute. My eyes flutter open to stare back at him. "Don't take your eyes off me, okay?" He fucks me harder and harder, making it difficult for me to keep my eyes open and my screams low. The way he's looking at me with so much hunger makes me wonder where the seemingly innocent visual of GOT7 went.

"Mark, I think I'm..." I'm cut short by Mark's moans that are growing longer and louder as he plows into me. I feel him throbbing within my walls and realize he might be close to climax too.

Suddenly he takes both of my hands, laces his fingers together with mine and pins my hands above my head before slamming hard into my pussy. I scream, so close to breaking as he leans his head against mine, his breath fanning my face.

"Ohhhh, baby you feel so good..." He sighs and kisses me hard, sending chills down my spine. I arch my back when his lips land on my neck again, licking and marking my skin in places I'm sure people would see tomorrow.

He starts thrusting faster and faster, and his hands are gripping mine so hard that they're starting to go numb. Down south I am on fire, my insides are twisting and turning, and I'm beginning to lose all sense of sanity I have left. "Mark!"

"Fuck, you're getting tighter. Are you cumming?"

"Yes... Please... Don't stop... Aaahhhh!" I scream as I reach my orgasm sending Mark into a cursing frenzy, pleasure coursing through both of our bodies while my walls clenched and pulsed all around him."Ohhhh, baby, I'm so close," His fast thrusts turn into deep and hard fucks that make the bed creak. He bites his lower lip hard and closes his eyes, his member twitching inside me signaling his climax.

We both breathe hard, chasing down our highs with a couple more thrusts. Mark lets go of my hand and lays spent on top of me, his face buried in the crook of my neck. I hug him and gently run my fingertips up and down his back. "Mark?"

"Yes, baby?" He answers, leaving butterfly kisses from the sides of my neck to my collarbone. Silence. I can feel him smiling on my skin, and we stay there for a while, not knowing what to say to each other.

"Are you seriously going to call me 'baby' now?" I ask, staring at the ceiling and trying to ignore the feeling of his ridiculously moist and soft lips.

"That's up to you, actually..." Mark casually says. He rolls off me and lies beside me on the bed. "I want to, but it's up to you if you want that to stick, or not..." He adds, discarding the condom filled to the brim.

"I'll think about it," I answer with a wink before leaving him to butt naked in bed.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I need to pee," I pad barefoot towards the bathroom without looking back. I close the door and quietly sit on the toilet, letting the tears roll down my cheeks.

Two minutes.

I'm giving myself two minutes to wallow in confusion and self-pity before I start my cool girl act.

The last thing he needs right now is a girlfriend, and though I'm not the one-night-stand kind, I'm more than willing to forget what just happened and not even glance at him when we get back to Korea for the sake of both our jobs.

For now, while we're still oceans away from our adult realities, I guess it's okay to go back and finish the night with a sweet cuddle session. So I wash up, dry myself, and crawl underneath the covers where Mark instantly spoons me 'til he falls unconscious. I stay up, savoring the warmth of his naked body against mine, thinking this is the last time I'm sleeping with an idol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liking this so far? I'd like to hear your thoughts while I'm proofreading the rest of the chapters!


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